The After Years
by mnidl
Summary: (Post-war) One witch 7 years his junior, one witch his own age, and one witch 7 years his senior. All vying for Harry Potter's affections. Who will win out? (Not harem, but possible sexual situations/lemons) (All credit to abovethestars@TDA for the banner)
1. The New DADA Teacher

The Great Hall of Hogwarts was abuzz – rumors and gossip were making the rounds about one thing and one thing only: who would be filling the newly vacant Defense Against the Dark Arts position. The prestigious post had cycled through various Aurors and Ministry of Magic personnel in the years following the war, yet none had lasted more than a couple of years; they had all been temporary stopgaps until Headmistress Minerva McGonagall could find the appropriate wizard or witch on whom to bestow the official title of Professor of Hogwarts. After seven long years, she had finally come to a decision and had announced that a permanent Defense teacher would be named at the opening banquet of the new school year.

Hence, the gossip mill was churning at full force, everyone excited by the prospect of some juicy news. The rumors were not limited to the confines of Hogwarts either, as the Daily Prophet and even a few wizarding newspapers overseas had run articles debating likely candidates. Kingsley Shacklebolt's name had been thrown around ever since he retired as Head Auror two years prior, his vacant position filled by Harry Potter, while esteemed witches such as Fleur Delacour and Hermione Granger were also widely considered to be in the running. More farfetched and unlikely names were included in the discussion as well - Rita Skeeter even went so far as to say that Molly Weasley was her dark horse for the abilities she demonstrated in defeating Bellatrix Lestrange. Whatever the actual case may be, in a few minutes time, the mystery would be revealed, galleons would exchange hands, and life would go on…at least, that was the belief.

So when the Minerva McGonagall stood to attention at the head of the staff table following the seating of all the students, everyone quieted to a hush immediately, including the staff members, who were equally clueless. All of those present in the Great Hall were on the edge of their seats as they prepared for the eagerly anticipated announcement.

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the school of the utmost magical tradition…."

As McGonagall droned on in her welcoming speech, students and staff alike tuned her out, their recent excitement momentarily forgotten and replaced by overwhelming boredom. But all at once, about five minutes into the speech, they perked up as the Headmistress prepared to announce the long-awaited news:

"Finally, as I am sure you are all aware, we will be welcoming a new professor into our midst this year and he will be holding the permanent position of Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."

At once, hushed whispers went back and forth between students, as the new teacher was now necessarily a wizard. When the Headmistress did not continue speaking and silently glared over her spectacles, the students got the message and quieted up.

"I have just been informed that he has entered the premises and should be reaching the Great Hall at any moment now. This wizard has qualifications that put him far and above what Hogwarts was seeking for this position: after helping to defend the wizarding world from the forces of darkness as Head Auror – "

The murmurs redoubled, and several heads started nodding, galleons already changing owners. However, the Headmistress had no need to silence the crowd this time around, as the distinct knock sounding on the main door to the Great Hall accomplished that for her. With a smile and twinkle in her eye, both eerily reminiscent of her predecessor's, Headmistress McGonagall completed her announcement:

"Everyone, please welcome Grand Sorcerer and Order of Merlin, First Class… Harry Potter!"

x

This time, there was no quieting the students, and even the professors jumped out of their seats to stare in amazement at the figure approaching the staff table.

Harry Potter was dressed in black robes and smiled as he purposefully strode down the aisle towards his colleagues. Long gone were the pair of glasses he had worn during his years at Hogwarts and even his hair had been somewhat tamed; now, his scar was openly displayed on his forehead, not that he would ever go unnoticed even without it. Moreover, his body was muscular and toned after years of training and Auror work – this was most certainly no longer the body of a boy. Most of all, he carried himself with a confidence that demanded attention from everyone in the room.

As soon as he reached his former Transfiguration professor, he quickly brought her into a tight hug before holding a quiet conversation with her. He did the same right afterwards with his longtime friend Hagrid and his other old professors who were still teaching at the school. When that was done, he finally took his seat of honour right beside the Headmistress.

Throughout this time, students were madly scribbling on parchment and calling for their owls, eager to spread the news. Others simply chattered amongst themselves, while several witches gathered together and giggled while glancing at Harry. Throughout all of this, Harry simply caught up some more with the other professors, glad to be back at Hogwarts, the place he always felt he belonged the most – this was going to be a fun year.

x

Professor Daphne Greengrass sat at the edge of the staff table, wondering what all the hubbub was about. Sure, the appointment of Potter as DADA professor had come as a surprise even to her, but there was no reason to continue fawning over him; the war had ended seven years ago and Potter's arrogance did not seem to have diminished in the least since then – if anything, it appeared to have grown. She just wanted to get this opening ceremony done with, as it seemed it was already going to be a long night.

She eagerly awaited the sorting, wanting to see who would be joining her House. When she was made Head of Slytherin a year ago, she became the youngest ever to hold the title. However, it had been a natural promotion, as she was Potions master, like several of the past Heads of her House. She'd been hired shortly after the war when Horace Slughorn had retired, and naturally, he had recommended one of his former Slytherin students for the post. While other wizards and witches had had better credentials and more experience, one simply could not beat connections; coming from an ancient and powerful family definitely had its benefits.

Slytherins were known for their manipulative nature, and Daphne was no exception to the rule. From a young age, her family's motto had been ingrained into her mind: Greengrasses always get what they want.

x

At the other side of the room, Gabrielle Delacour still stood in awe at her idol of over ten years. After being saved by Harry during the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament, she had immediately wanted to be just like him, to be strong enough to defend herself and the ones important to her. As the Boy Who Lived, he had always been labeled as different, and was often shunned because of this – not unlike her own situation, being part-Veela. However, he had triumphed over all adversity, becoming one of the greatest heroes the Wizarding world had ever known and silencing all his critics in the process. He had thoroughly proved that different could be good. In fact, it could be far better than good: different could be incredible, different could achieve things that normal would never attempt, and different could bring people together to unite them for the common good, pushing aside that which caused division in the first place.

Harry Potter's successes were the reason Gabrielle tried to emulate him: she wanted to rise above the stigma of her race and prove her worth to the world on the sole basis of being a fantastic witch. One of the main reasons she had transferred over to Hogwarts was to try to learn in his footsteps, and it had been no simple task convincing her parents and her sister that Beauxbatons was not where she wanted to complete her schooling. It was all worth it now, however, as she could not believe her luck: she was going to be _taught_ by Harry Potter!

x

Harry was amazed at the fact that the students were still milling around like bees in a hive and immediately felt sorry for his Headmistress. He turned his head to her and gave her a silent apology, which she returned with a slight, knowing smile. He then looked to the other side of the table and beamed again at the familiar faces. When he reached the end of the table, though, he was somewhat shocked to see a bored-looking Daphne Greengrass sitting there. He vaguely remembered her being a Slytherin in the same year as him during their time at Hogwarts, and was surprised to see she had become a professor at Hogwarts. She was young – not that he was one to talk – but he did seem to recall Hermione saying that Daphne was one of the brightest witches in their year. In his musings, he must have been left staring at her, as feeling his gaze, she turned towards him. Her icy blue eyes shone brightly even in the dimly-lit Great Hall and contrasted her beautifully pale skin and hair that was as black as night. Although she had always been pretty during their school years, she had blossomed into a knockout as she progressed into young adulthood.

Realizing that he was still looking at her, Harry blushed and tore his gaze away from her, causing a snicker to escape Daphne's mouth. She grinned, momentarily forgetting about the grueling procedures still to come and instead thinking that times should be interesting with the return of the Boy Who Lived.

x

"So how was your day, Nymmie?" asked Harry, bracing himself for the inevitable outburst

Not one to disappoint, Tonks immediately yelled, "Stop calling me that, Harry!"

"Sorry," Harry said with a smile, and Tonks' expression softened, returning the smile. "The Auror Offices aren't a complete mess without me?"

"Don't be full of yourself," she replied with a smirk, "though you know we'd welcome you back anytime, Harry –"

"Stop, Tonks. We've had this discussion before. I became an Auror to get rid of Voldemort's remaining followers who managed to survive the war. There are always going to be new dark wizards that pop up, but you and I both know that the threat is essentially over for now. I want a new challenge in my life, and I think teaching Defense fits the bill perfectly."

"I know, honey…I just miss you," Tonks replied with a shy smile.

"But it's only been a day since I left!"

Tonks stuck her tongue out before yelling, "Meanie!"

They both laughed a bit, before Tonks continued.

"So did your first day back at Hogwarts go well for you? All the papers are already running your face on their front pages, you know?"

"Yeah, I probably should have just gotten there on time so I didn't have to make an entrance…but I wonder whose fault it was that I was late in the first place?"

"Hey! I don't remember hearing you complaining. As I seem to recall, _you _were the one who started getting frisky."

"You're right as always, my dear, but can you blame a man?" he asked, as he gently bent down to kiss her lips. She returned the sweet gesture, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him even closer to her body and trailing her fingers through his thick mane of black hair. When they finally broke apart, Harry lightly placed a kiss on her nose, causing the tips of her hair to turn bright red.

"I'll see you in a week, as promised, alright Tonks?"

She nodded her assent, watching affectionately as her boyfriend disappeared into the Floo.

"…I love you," she whispered, to no one but the flames, too scared to share her feelings just yet. "One week, Tonks," she muttered to herself, "one week. Nothing will have changed in one week and I'll say it then." Satisfied, she whistled as she skipped to her bedroom, oblivious to all that could really happen in the span of a week.

* * *

><p><em>Hey all, hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Whether or not you did, please leave feedback by reviewing andor answering the poll on my user page. Also, I'm currently looking for a beta for this story, so please contact me if you would like to volunteer your services. Thanks, mnidl_


	2. First Class

Harry Potter lay hidden beneath his Invisibility Cloak, waiting for the entire class to show up before starting. When the last seventh year finally entered, he wordlessly cast _Colloportus_, locking the door to the room. Unbeknownst to his students, Harry Potter was about to have some fun.

_Expelliarmus, _he cast next, throwing a ginger-haired witch's wand outside the open window. She gasped in surprise, clueless as to what had just happened, but her shock was soon shared with a number of her peers: wands were flying out of the room left and right at an alarming rate. The seventh year wizards and witches were now in a panic, and some had even tried going for the door, only to find it locked. One by one, wands were escaping their owners' hands, and half the class had already lost possession of theirs before the remaining students finally took action.

x

Gabrielle Delacour felt the adrenaline pumping through her veins, but tried to remain as outwardly calm as possible.

"_Alohomora!" _she yelled, unlocking the door and allowing the students without wands to exit the classroom and retrieve their belongings. "Call for help!" was screamed by one of her classmates, though Gabrielle herself suspected that this was an exercise, since the talented wizard responsible for creating the uproar – Harry Potter, no doubt – was obviously toying with the students.

Deciding to play his game, she pushed her desk down to the floor and then hid behind her makeshift shield. "Defend yourselves!" she urged her remaining classmates. Seeing her example, they immediately threw their own desks down to create a barrier against the incoming spells.

"Where are they coming from?" Samuel, a fellow Gryffindor, yelled. Gabrielle struggled to find the answer to that question herself, intently following the _Expelliarmuses _that were still being successfully cast, but which had slowed down somewhat – the wizard or witch must be moving around to shoot around the desks. As she constantly repositioned her own desk, slowly inching herself towards a corner to cut off the angles, she realized he must be using some kind of invisibility spell or device. The fact that he was casting all these spells wordlessly only made the students' task more difficult. Suddenly, she had an idea to track him down.

"Everyone who doesn't have a wand!" she yelled at her classmates. "On 3, rush towards where you think the spells are coming from." The students in question all looked back at her as if she were insane, causing her to retort, "It's Professor Potter casting the spells – he's not going to hurt you." After a moment of contemplation, they realized she must be right and nodded back their agreement to her plan.

"Alright, 1…2…3! Go!" she screamed, standing over the barrier to see a flock of students running in almost all directions. When she saw the first one crumple to the ground, obviously stunned, she immediately sent an _Expelliarmus _spell in that direction; the other remaining students with wands did the same, but none seemed to have connected. Noticing where all the action was taking place, the seventh years without wands ran towards the body of their fallen comrade.

"I touched him!" yelled a pudgy Slytherin, his arms outstretched in front of him; a moment later, he too was stunned, but another round of _Expeliarmuses _flew in that direction. This time, a black wand soared through the air, clattering against the wall.

"Yes!" exclaimed numerous students in joy, but shortly afterwards, several more students lost their wands.

"He's casting wandlessly!" Gabrielle shouted, chiding herself for forgetting he could do that. There were now only four students left with wands, and the wandless students were falling like flies, stunned both figuratively then literally as they ran around like chickens with their heads cut off. Each of the students with a wand had gone to one of the corners of the room, hiding apprehensively behind his or her desk.

"What now, Gabrielle," the part-Veela thought to herself, watching helplessly as one more wand flew out the window and its owner was subsequently stunned. The two other remaining students threw Stunners in the direction of the now-quiet corner, but they bounced harmlessly off a conjured shield. "He's certainly too powerful, magically, for only three of us," she mused. Abruptly, she decided to attempt something reckless and probably futile, but it was worth a try.

x

Harry quietly stalked towards the next corner of the room, keeping the last three seventh years in his vision so as to be prepared for any spells. As he leaned over the desk, casting a silent _Expelliarmus_ followed by _Stupefy_ at the cowering student, he immediately prepared himself for the counter-attack. As expected, a string of Stunners came from the boy in the adjacent corner, and Harry deftly turned towards him, putting up a _Protego_ and skillfully dodging the attacks.

What he hadn't been expecting, however, was the flying 100-pound body of a young witch to come crashing into him at full speed, tackling him to the ground and knocking the breath out of him. Before he had a chance to react, she had removed the Invisibility Cloak from his body, and was now desperately attempting to pin him face down on the ground in the hopes of neutralizing him, while also calling out to the last boy remaining to come help her.

However, Harry had recovered by that time and the girl's strength was no match for his; he easily managed to roll her over and pin her to the ground. As he crouched over her struggling form, he realized she looked oddly familiar. Her silvery-blonde hair framed an almost unnaturally beautiful face, punctuated by a cute upturned nose and naturally puckered lips. He did not know how he could have ever forgotten such a lovely creature, but he did not have time to mull over the thought at that moment – without breaking eye contact with the captivating sapphire blue spheres a foot below him, he rotated his arm backwards in the direction of the rapidly approaching footsteps and cast _Stupefy_; the thud that sounded shortly after was all the confirmation he needed.

"Excellent attempt, miss…?" he trailed off.

"Delacour. Gabrielle Delacour," she whispered, still pinned underneath him, but not struggling to break free any more – she would have been content to stay in that position all day staring into the beautiful emerald eyes of Harry Potter.

Much to her chagrin, however, Harry quickly jumped to his feet, and in the blink of an eye was offering her a hand to help her up.

"I'm sorry, Gabrielle – I can't believe I didn't recognize you sooner; you've grown into an exceptionally beautiful young lady."

She blushed at the compliment, knowing from his eyes that we was being sincere.

"So…ugh, how's Fleur?" Harry asked, trying to break the suddenly awkward silence. There was something in the air between the two of them following their little tussle on the ground.

"My sister is very well, thank you. She and Bill are still very much the lovestruck couple," she said with a grimace.

Harry laughed at her expression, and immediately the tension dissipated. They fell into an easy conversation as they ennervated the bodies littering the ground.

"When did your English become so good?"

"I have been at Hogwarts for four years now, so I have had ample opportunity to learn."

"Oh, so you transferred from Beauxbatons? You didn't miss any of your friends?"

Her expression soured, and Harry realized his misstep.

"I'm sorry Gabrielle, I should have known that your Veela powers probably make all the boys infatuated with you, which then turns all the girls against you."

Gabrielle just nodded her head mutely, surprised by the depth of his understanding.

"I know what it's like to be an outcast myself, but luckily I had a couple of the best friends anyone could ever ask for. So if you ever need to talk to someone, I'd be glad to lend an ear, alright Gabby - you don't mind if I call you that, do you?"

"No," she answered at once, secretly delighted with the new nickname.

When the entire class had finally re-assembled with their wands, and the room was cleaned up back to its original state, Harry finally addressed them as a whole for the first time.

"Constant vigilance!" he yelled, startling the first few rows of students. "A great man once told me that, and it is something I think we should all live by. It helped me through the war and hopefully, it will help all of you in defending against any threats you may encounter following your graduation from Hogwarts. Never let down your guard – especially whenever you're in my classroom and at my mercy," he finished with a grin.

"That will be all for class today, but I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by some of your performances. In particular, Miss Delacour's composure throughout this exercise was exemplary and she was almost successful in besting me in this little exercise."

Everyone turned their heads in her direction and she blushed under the attention.

"As a result, I will be awarding 20 points to the House of…"

"Gryffindor," Gabrielle answered proudly.

"Of course," Harry smiled. "20 points to the House of Gryffindor. Everyone have a great day and for next class, I want all of you to practice your _Protegos_ – next time, I want to see better defense against _Expelliarmus_ and _Stupefy_ from all of you."

As everyone left the room, chattering with one another about the incredible wandless and wordless casting of their professor, Gabrielle stayed behind, making sure she was the last one in the room with Harry.

"What can I do for you, Gabby?" he said with a smile.

"Nothing, I just wanted to thank you for the lesson and for your offer of support."

"Anytime –"

Before Harry could complete his sentence, Gabby stood up on her tiptoes and laid a light kiss on his cheek. She then turned briskly around and walked out of the room, leaving a stunned speechless Harry Potter behind her.

* * *

><p><em>Alright guys and gals, there you have it, chapter two. The next installment will feature Daphne Greengrass much more prominently, so that the love square - always wanted to say that - can finally start taking shape. For all those who left comments, answered the poll on my profile page, favorited this story, or simply read this work - you have my infinite thanks. Once again, your feedback is much appreciated and will decide how I eventually shape this story. Also, I am still looking for a beta; it would give me someone to throw ideas off of and to help edit my pieces, which would allow me to churn out chapters faster.<em>


	3. Melting the Ice and Teaching Quidditch

Gabrielle giggled to herself over her daring gesture, as she had had to summon all her courage just to walk up to Harry alone in the empty classroom and had almost backed out at the last moment. The look on his face was priceless, though, and as she travelled to her next class, she thought to herself: _Je ne regrette rien_.

x

Daphne Greengrass was silently pushing the lima beans around her plate, not having much of an appetite for Hogwarts food on this night.

"Not to your taste?"

The unexpected remark nearly caused her to jump out of her seat.

"Don't do that, Potter!" she yelled. "And who said you could sit there?" she asked, when he took the seat beside hers.

"Ummm…every other seat is taken."

Seeing that that was indeed the case at the staff table, she begrudgingly gestured for him to sit in the most dismissing manner she could conjure up, then defiantly turned her head to the side in an attempt to completely ignore him.

"You don't like me much, do you?"

"Gee, what gave you that impression, Potter?" she replied snidely.

"It's just that we never really talked back when we went to school together, you know, so I'm wondering what shaped your opinion of me," he said, shoveling some mashed potatoes down his throat.

"Well, first off, you're a filthy Gryffindor," she said as she started counting with her fingers. "Second, you think you're far smarter, more powerful and handsome than you actually are, and third, you've coasted on a success you had _seven_ years ago! I'll give you one thing, though, you are idiotically brave."

"Ouch. Well I can tell you that the Sorting Hat originally wanted to put me into Slytherin, believe it or not. As to your second point," he continued, ignoring the shocked look on her face, "I didn't know you were such a skilled Legilimens that you could pass my Occlumency barriers and read my thoughts." At this, Daphne turned red in anger, causing Harry to chuckle. "Finally, my…trying formative years instilled in me an attitude of never taking anything for granted…" As he trailed off, Daphne wondered if the stories of his life with the Dursleys were actually true, that he did in fact live in a cupboard under the stairs and was forced to perform all the chores and cooking, essentially acting as a slave for them. If so, maybe she had misjudged Potter a bit. But just a bit. "I got this job after seven years of hard work as an Auror and I had to pass a completely objective test of skill to become Head Auror, I wasn't just appointed by popular vote." She hadn't known that… "For that matter, how did you become Potions Master, Daphne?"

Caught off guard and slightly ashamed of her less than legitimate hiring, she tried changing the subject.

"Don't call me by first name! Should you even be cozying up to me, for that matter - don't you have a girlfriend, Potter?"

For a moment, Harry was taken aback by her comment, but then realized that Daphne could not possibly know about Tonks. They had kept their relationship under wraps, since Aurors were prohibited from dating one another and he didn't want to jeopardize Tonks' career. Hence, they'd agreed to keep it secret for at least a little while longer so as not to arouse too much suspicion.

Luckily for him, Daphne did not catch the lapse in conversation, her mind still in a whirl trying to reconcile the truth – if Potter indeed wasn't lying – with the image she had built up of him throughout the years based on newspaper articles and conversations with her friends and family, almost all of them Slytherins.

"No, still single. What about you, Daphne – sorry, Professor Greengrass?"

"Same," she replied, glad they were no longer talking about how she got to be Potions Master.

"Really?" he asked, somewhat shocked, though she had gained notoriety as the Ice Queen of Slytherin during their years at Hogwarts.

"Yes, _really, _Potter," she huffed angrily, "though I'll have you know that it is not for a lack of suitors. Heaven knows father wants to marry me off to the highest bidder."

As soon as the words escaped her mouth, Daphne wished she could take them back; she had no idea why she had uttered them, revealing such a close detail of her personal life to a relative stranger in Potter.

"That's terrible, Daphne. You deserve better – everyone does. You should have the chance to love, to be loved in return, and to marry the person who gives you all that."

"Professor Greengrass," she corrected, but no longer with any venom in her voice. "It's easy for you to say, you don't have parents who…"

As soon as she realized her words, she blurted out, "I'm sorry!" surprising Harry and making him pause for a moment before bursting out laughing. Angry that he was mocking her consideration and her genuine apology, she swatted him on the shoulder, which only caused his laughter to redouble. She struggled not to laugh herself, turning her head away so Harry couldn't see the smile slowly forming on her face.

"It's alright, people have expressed their sympathy for me ever since I entered the Wizarding world. I'm twenty-five years old – I've long since dealt with the deaths of my parents, so you don't have to worry about hurting my feelings, Professor Greengrass."

"Very well then. As I was saying, you don't know my father and mother's pressuring ways. They want to preserve the nobility of the Greengrass line and that means they only want me getting engaged to a rich pureblood of similar or higher status."

"I may not have that kind of pressure from any parents, but I do come from a noble line of pureblood wizards and witches myself, so I've gotten my fair share of marriage proposals ever since I turned of age." Daphne snorted, knowing that was almost certainly a gross understatement – maybe Potter was a modest chump after all. "We're like two peas in a pod!"

Daphne turned silently towards him and raised one delicate eyebrow, but Harry just started digging into his food in response. She couldn't believe he could stomach the high-calorie and high-fat food and still keep the fit body he possessed. As she subconsciously snuck a peek at his muscled torso and abs, she suddenly realized what she doing and abruptly turned away, chastising herself while blushing slightly. The seemingly endless plates of food were cleared one by one, and Daphne watched half in jealousy and half in disgust as Potter ate to his heart's content. It was actually rather amusing watching him lose his usual proper and professional demeanor, instead scarfing down food as though he hadn't eaten in days. It was…dare she say it…cute, watching him drop the grown-up facade and enjoy a meal like a kid. Sighing, she wished she could possess some of that carefreeness herself.

"Are you going to eat those beans?" Potter asked her, breaking her from her reverie.

"No, go ahead," she replied, smiling as he cleaned off the plate, leaving not one bean uneaten.

"Ahhhh…." Potter exclaimed in content, stretching both of his arms backwards. Daphne's smile could not help but broaden at the sight – Potter's joy was contagious, and she realized that if anyone could help her break out of her shell more, it was almost certainly the young man with the lightning bolt scar on his forehead.

x

The next morning, Harry Potter woke up bright and early at the crack of dawn, as he always did, changing into a comfortable Muggle sweatshirt and pair of sweatpants that Hermione had gotten for him. As he started jogging around the Hogwarts Lake, catching a glimpse of the Giant Squid, he cleared his mind of all thoughts and just ran. For half an hour, he simply let his feet take him where they may, feeling the stress fall off him in waves and reveling in the peace and quiet of a cool fall morning.

It was in this state of euphoria and disconnect that he almost tripped over someone at the Quidditch pitch. Luckily, he had managed to sidestep the stretching form at the last second, avoiding contact. When he turned around to apologize, he realized he was staring once again into unmistakable sapphire blue eyes.

x

Gabrielle Delacour stood up from the stretching she was doing on the ground, surprised but happy to see Harry again so soon.

"Sorry," they both said at the same time.

In an instant, they were both laughing, the rising sun casting a soft light over their two figures.

"It was completely my fault," said Harry. "I always zone out when I run, and I didn't see you there when I turned the corner."

"No, it was mine – I should have been stretching on the field, and not on the path; I have just never met anyone on the grounds this early before."

"Trust me, I don't often run into people," he wiggled his eyebrows, "this early, either."

As she giggled at his corny pun, he continued on.

"What are you doing out at dawn, anyway?"

"I'm practicing for Quidditch," she answered proudly, nodding towards the Firebolt on the ground a few feet away from them. Harry looked towards it, having obviously not noticed it beforehand. "I got it because you had one, too," she said.

"Still do," he replied. "Shame I don't have it with me, though, or I could have flown circles around you, little missy."

"As if!" was her haughty response, in a manner that would have made French royalty envious. "I will have you know I am the current Seeker of House Gryffindor, while you are but a retired has-been."

Harry mimed getting shot in the heart, falling to the ground. He looked up at her with pleading eyes for a second, then his whole body collapsed abruptly in death. This caused her to giggle once more and he found the sound compelling.

"You know, in spite of my obviously superior abilities, I am having trouble with this one maneuver that I think you are familiar with," Gabrielle said, tapping her chin.

"And which one is that, m'lady?"

"The Wronski Feint!" she replied enthusiastically, rushing to get her Firebolt. "Can you teach me how to do it?"`

"Ugh, sure, but how will I do that without a broom?" he questioned.

"We can share mine," she replied, seating herself at the back of the broom and gesturing for him to sit at the front. After a moment of hesitation, Harry decided that despite the inevitable closeness of contact that would ensue, this was no doubt just the completely innocent request of a young girl who wanted a mentor and someone she could trust. Moreover, she was his student after all, and he wanted to impart all the knowledge that he could in order to teach the kids of Hogwarts to the best of his abilities.

"Alright," he finally agreed, seating himself on the familiar, yet also decidedly foreign Firebolt.

x

Gabrielle's heart soared as Harry climbed up rapidly, circling her arms around Harry's waist so as not to fall off. She could feel him tense for a moment, before eventually relaxing and laying back comfortably against her. So at ease was she in this position that she wasn't listening when he started talking.

"Earth to Gabby," he mocked jokingly, snapping his fingers near her face. "As I was saying, the Wronski Feint is all about deception, so the act you pull off before the actual maneuver is just as important as the feat itself." She nodded her understanding. "So you have to be aware of the cues that you normally display when you dive for an actual Snitch – think of it like a tell in poker." Again, she nodded - she was familiar with the Muggle card game. "Before you perform the feint, you should try to mimic those tells as closely as possible and essentially bluff the other Seeker into thinking you're diving for the real thing." She smiled in wonder at his simple and clear explanation: this was why she had grown up idolizing him. "As for the actual maneuver itself, there's no better way to show it than with a little demonstration, right?" he said with a grin. "Ready?" he asked. As soon as she nodded her head, they abruptly started to plunge.

As the g-forces increased from their near vertical descent, Gabrielle could not help but be pressed against Harry, her breasts crushed against his back. She thought she could sense a tingle run up his spine as that happened, and she could feel her own nipples harden in excitement. Not really paying attention to the task at hand, she almost missed the Wronski Feint: Harry had continued descending at the same incredibly rapid speed right up until they were mere meters from the ground, and then had put all his strength into bringing the Firebolt back level. As that happened, Gabrielle grabbed an even tighter hold of Harry so as not to be thrown off, pushing her now rock hard nipples into his back, and their feet nearly touched the ground, so close were they from actually crashing into the ground.

"Wow," she exclaimed, exhilarated.

"Yeah, wow," Harry replied, but noticeably less enthusiastic. He remained cool and more detached for the rest of the morning, allowing Gabrielle to try the feint on her own and only giving her constructive critiques of her attempts; Gabrielle wondered why he was suddenly acting so distant, hoping their flight together had not created some kind of irreparable rift that would forever affect their friendship.

* * *

><p><em>Alright, that's chapter 3. It should be more Daphne and Gabby next chapter, with Tonks coming back soon after. In other news, thanks to all the people who reviewvote and to all those whole will pick up the torch in that respect. Finally, the beta search continues - message me if you're interested._


	4. An Unexpected Proposal

As Harry stood under the cold shower, he swore at himself for reacting in the manner he did. It was one thing to have the physical reaction he'd had when he'd felt Gabrielle's breasts press against his back, but the way he'd acted towards her afterwards had been completely disgraceful. It was a typical and healthy male response to be affected by a beautiful girl's tight young body, but there was no reason to act like an asshole because it was he who could not control his baser urges. He wanted to stay completely loyal to Tonks, but that was no reason to lash out at a girl for a weakness on his part. This was further complicated by the fact that he could not tell her, or anyone else for that matter, that he actually had a girlfriend to be true to.

The frigid water cooled him down considerably both physically and emotionally, and he decided that he would just have to be more careful around the beautiful young Veela in the future. But first, he had to apologize.

x

The next days passed by uneventfully and Gabrielle eagerly accepted Harry's apology the following morning, glad to see him back to his former self. They would often fly together, constantly trying to outdo one another and having a few one-on-one practice matches as Seekers; Harry discovered that Gabrielle was not the fastest flyer, but was remarkably intelligent and an extremely quick learner. Their battles would always be long and hard-fought, and as Harry started getting back into flying shape, he got back at her for some of the losses he had piled up in the beginning. Their little practices became a replacement for his early morning jogging, and it felt like they were the only ones in the world as they flew across the sky at daybreak.

His classes also went well and he loved giving his students a challenge every class, with the winner obviously getting points for his or her House. Sometimes, it was seeing who could disenchant a cursed box he had charmed the quickest, while at other times, he simply set up a small duelling tournament. As a result of this hands-on approach to teaching, his students enjoyed coming to class and learned in leaps and bounds because they were always trying to beat their friends and the other Houses at the challenges. On several occasions, Gabrielle once again demonstrated her quick wit and skill with a wand, impressing Harry and amassing many points for Gryffindor, which put her on better terms with the other students of her House; he was glad to see her socializing more with students of her own age compared to the beginning of the year. He had even noticed a Gryffindor by the name of Sebastian Norton who had most definitely taken notice of her and was almost certainly smitten with the young Veela. He wondered why she seemed to ignore these attentions, however, since he thought it would be good for her to try entering into a relationship with another seventh year. Although Harry could not say he did not enjoy the time he spent together with her, he was much too old for her, she was his student, and he already had a girlfriend – it would never work, he had managed to convince himself, overriding the growing bond that seemed to be forming between the two of them with each passing day.

Even between classes, Harry kept busy. Every mealtime, Harry would sit beside Daphne, whether there were other seats available or not, and after the initial protestations on her part, she finally gave up and just let him sit there. He wasn't altogether sure why he himself enjoyed spending time with the Slytherin Potions Master, as she certainly seemed to find him annoying and would be the first to remind him of that at every occasion. However, instead of pushing him away, that only made him more interested in her. He wanted to know what it was that made her instinctually push everyone away from her - if there was any way to help break that habit of hers, he would try to so. He thought himself to be an excellent judge of character and knew she was a kind person at heart; he just had to find a way to get her to open up.

x

On Friday, Harry and Daphne were at their usual spots eating breakfast when a majestic blue owl came flying at them with a letter in its claws. Daphne immediately stopped eating at the sight of it and waited as it deposited its sealed parchment on the lap of its intended recipient. She gave the bird a scone and petted its head, sending it on its way back home.

"A secret admirer?" Harry joked, as Daphne started removing the seal.

"My parents," Daphne replied, with obvious dread in her voice.

When she finally got the letter open and started reading the first few lines, her face suddenly blanched. Harry conspicuously leaned over her shoulder to try to read the words, but she quickly concealed the letter from him, sending one of her patented cold glares at him.

"What?" he asked innocently.

Harry was surprised when she did not answer, instead staring blankly ahead. He knew this must be something serious to have destabilized her to this degree. For the rest of the meal, he could not get another word out of her, despite his best attempts, and he felt as though their relationship had reverted to the same distant way it had been back when they were still students at Hogwarts.

x

Lunch turned out to be much of the same, with Daphne continuing to ignore Harry as they ate their respective meals. Harry even tried pulling out some of the pranks from the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes he'd confiscated from students, but none of them succeeded in drawing the slightest response from the newly revamped Ice Queen.

At dinner, however, that inexplicably changed when Daphne came striding up to Harry at the staff table as he was busily eating his soup.

"You're going on a date with me," she said confidently after reaching him/

"What?" he sputtered, choking on a mouthful of broth.

She laughed at his reaction, delighting in his discomfort. Harry was just glad she seemed to be back to the person he had uncovered over the past week.

"You know that letter I got from Father and Mother this morning?" she asked.

"I do seem to recall something of that nature," he replied sarcastically – she must be rubbing off on him.

"Well it basically invited me to dinner tomorrow night, where I would be meeting with a suitor who had impressed my parents very much."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"You don't understand – this is just a prelude to a marriage contract; whether or not we actually get along is of little importance. In the past, I might go on a date with a suitor to appease Father and Mother, but it would only be myself and the rich prat – tomorrow night, both our parents will be there, which can only mean one thing: the marriage has already all but been decided."

"Wow," said Harry, stunned that any kind of parents would decide the future of their child in such a cold and calculating way.

"Ever since my younger sister Astoria got married to your good friend Draco – " Harry sneered at the name " – I knew my parents would be pressuring me soon enough to also get engaged. But I've found the perfect solution to this problem," she said, with a triumphant glimmer in her eye, "you."

Before he could protest, she continued. "I have no doubt that my parents would see you as a more than suitable replacement suitor, so if you come to dinner with me tomorrow night, it could convince them to scrap the marriage contract."

"Wait, when did I agree to any of this?" he asked angrily, having been manipulated more than his fair share in the past.

She flinched at his response before answering, "It's not like it's going to be an actual date. We just have to pretend to like each other in front of my parents – actually, that sounds quite difficult, but nevertheless, it would only be for a couple of hours. Come on, _Harry,_" she struggled to say his first name, "do it for a friend. We are friends, right?" He grunted his assent, still unhappy with where this was going. "Besides, you said yourself you don't have a girlfriend." He was about to respond that he did, but abruptly shut his mouth, realizing his potential mistake. He thought over her proposal as she waited patiently for his response: Tonks would certainly not be happy if she knew he was going on a date with another woman, but as Daphne said, it was hardly a date and more of an act. More importantly, he did want to help her out, and if going to dinner with her tomorrow night would get her parents off her back for a while (he had a feeling they were a big reason she had a tendency to retreat into her shell), then he was all for it.

"Alright," he finally agreed.

With a broad smile he had never before seen from her, she voluntarily took the seat beside him – the first time she had ever done so – and as she sat down, whispered, "Thank you," in his ear with sincerity.

* * *

><p><em>Well, this was more of a set-up chapter than anything, so the real fun only starts next chapter. Obviously, it'll involve Daphne heavily, but I promise that Tonks show up again right afterwards. As always, thank you to the past reviewers and please continue reviewinganswering the poll. O beta, where art thou?_


	5. The Date

Harry stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his dress robes and making sure none of his carefully tamed locks of hair had suddenly decided to turn rebellious. He didn't know why he felt so nervous for his fake date with Daphne – after all, it wasn't like he had anything to lose. Nevertheless, his gut feeling was rarely wrong, and tonight it filled him with trepidation.

Finally satisfied with his appearance, Harry exited his room and started navigating his way through the maze of hallways that was Hogwarts. Taking a secret passageway that he'd found through the Maurauder's Map, he mused that the reason he was uneasy was that he just didn't know what to expect at the dinner. In any case, he was about to find out soon enough.

Harry reached the bedchamber of Daphne right on schedule, one hour before the actual dinner. He knocked once, but did not immediately receive an answer or hear any footsteps. After a moment, he stepped back, trying to make sure he was at the right room. He raised his hand, about to knock once more, when the door suddenly opened, and the sight that filled his eyes froze him in his tracks in that awkward position.

The young woman in front of him had her black hair pulled back and up in an intricate pattern of braids, while the sparing amount of make-up she had applied only served to accentuate her natural beauty. High cheekbones agreed with her noble status and light blue eye shadow softened her ice blue eyes. Her midnight blue dress was not revealing, yet it made no attempt to hide the sensuous curves of its wearer, making it elegant yet provocative. Harry had never known Daphne possessed such a smoking body, hidden as it normally was under the robes she wore.

When Harry did not bat an eyelash for what seemed an eternity, Daphne's mouth turned up in a grin.

"Are you going to stare all night, Potter?"

Her words snapped him out of his reverie and he replied, "Sorry – you just look stunning. Not that you weren't beautiful before, but tonight...wow, just wow."

She felt a tingle at his compliment, inwardly very pleased that the hours she had spent getting ready had not gone unnoticed.

"You don't look so bad yourself."

"Why thank you milady," Harry replied, having now recovered some function of his tongue. "Though I must say, only one of us is dressed in such a way as to incite potential fiancées to bend down on one knee in a heartbeat."

"Lay off the charm, Potter," Daphne replied, but feeling a blush starting to rise up in her cheeks despite her best efforts to stop it. "I'm supposed to already be your girlfriend, so you're not to be acting that way around me."

"Right, right. So brief me on what I have to know for tonight."

"Alright," she said, taking a nearby seat and gesturing for him to take the one next to it.

Harry took this time to finally get a better glance at Daphne's room and found it to look pretty much as he had expected: regal and elegant, while also being neat and practical. The walls were painted a deep purple, while most of the furniture was in dark mahogany, which complemented the rich maroon carpet that covered the floor. A large four-poster bed took up most of the space in the room, and was immaculately made. Once he was seated in a very comfy leather recliner, she continued.

"I've already owled Father and Mother that I would be bringing a guest, but they have no idea you're supposed to me my boyfriend."

"Why not?"

"Well I've made no mention of you in the regular correspondence I have with Mother, so it would be odd for me to suddenly announce that I was hiding one for three months."

"Three months?"

"Yes. We met at Diagon Alley at Flourish and Blotts, and I agreed to go on a date with you the following night at _La Laurentide_."

"I have no idea if I can pronounce that, let alone have any clue as to where it is."

"Don't worry about the details, I'll fill in any gaps. As I was saying, it would be odd to suddenly announce in a letter that I've been dating the great Harry Potter for three months –"

" – the great?"

"Oh, shut up. And would you quit interrupting me? _As I was saying,_" she said warningly, "it would make much more sense for us to show up together at my parents' house and reveal our relationship to them in person. It'll be easy to explain why we've kept it a secret for so long, since you already have trouble keeping your life private under normal circumstances. The dinner with a potential future husband is the perfect reason for us to come out to them with the 'truth'."

"Wow," Harry said, stunned for the second time that night. "You were definitely born to be a Slytherin."

"Of course," she said proudly. "Now if you don't have any questions, we should get going."

Harry shook his head, and they both stood up at the same time. They silently made their way out of Hogwarts under an Invisibility Charm, then Side-Along Apparated to a small flat but luxurious flat in Hogsmeade belonging to the Greengrasses. As Daphne threw some Floo Powder into the roaring flames of the fireplace, she added, "Remember, you have to act like my boyfriend the whole night – one crack in the armour and my parents will know right away."

In response, Harry held out his arm to her. Surprised by his gentlemanly manners – perhaps he wasn't a hopeless slob after all – she graciously put her hand around the crook of his elbow, prompting Harry to bend his forearm back towards his body. In this manner, they walked into the Floo together, the perfect image of the striking couple in love.

x

Arabella Greengrass was sipping a glass of wine when she saw the two figures enter her living room, the sight nearly causing her to ruin the dress she was wearing.

"Harry Potter?" she asked incredulously, not completely believing her eyes. Moreover, her daughter had her hand around his arm, which probably meant...

"Mother, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend," Daphne started saying.

Mrs. Greengrass never got to hear the end of that sentence, as she collapsed in a slump at that moment.

x

As Daphne went about trying to revive her mother, Harry was trying to calm the other guests down, reassuring them that the hostess was fine. In no time, people were drawn to Harry like moths to a flame, and Daphne had to admire the way he was both defusing the situation, while also skilfully manoeuvring around the minefield of questions. She knew he must get a lot of practice at doing the latter, but she was nevertheless impressed by the way he handled himself. To outsiders, it might very well look like he was arrogant or at the very least extremely confident, but Daphne had started getting to know the real Harry, and it was the complete opposite of the image he put up in public. Once again reviewing her opinion of him, she realized he was much more than she gave him credit for.

"Arabella!"

Daphne turned around to see her father rushing towards herself and her mother.

"What happened, Daphne?" Augustus Greengrass asked his daughter.

As Daphne recounted the events as they had unfolded, her eyes constantly seemed be drawn to Harry just like most of the other guests. After a minute or so, her mother slowly began regaining consciousness.

"Are you alright, dear?" asked Augustus, ignoring the attention-getter across the room and concentrating only on the well-being of his wife.

"I'm fine, Augustus, I just had a shock, is all."

"Daphne, are you not going to introduce us to your boyfriend?" Augustus asked, his tone of voice instantly changing from one of caring to one of questioning as he addressed his daughter.

"Of course, Father," Daphne replied, steeling herself while helping her mom up, then directing her parents towards Harry.

"Father, Mother, I would like you to meet my boyfriend, Harry Potter."

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Potter," Augustus said while extending his hand.

"The pleasure is all mine, sir," Harry replied, grasping the hand and giving it a firm shake. "Ma'am," he continued, bending down to place a kiss on Mrs. Greengrass' hand. She blushed in response, still in a great deal of shock over the fact that _Harry Potter_ was dating her daughter. "And please, call me Harry."

"Of course, Harry. You must understand our surprise, however, as Daphne never told us anything about having a boyfriend. We did hear you accepted the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts, though – splendid job and accomplishment, by the way."

"Thank you, sir, although the Potions Master position is also one that must bring great pride."

Augustus nodded almost imperceptibly, making Harry wonder why everyone seemed to be so mum on the subject. Undeterred, Harry continued:

"Just to be clear, though, Daphne and I met before I started at Hogwarts – I am sure you can understand why I wished to keep this private."

"Of course, where in fact did you two meet, then?"

Daphne was about to interject with her own response, but Harry surprised her for the umpteenth time that night.

"We met at Flourish and Blotts about three months ago, and your daughter gave me the honour of taking her out to dinner at _La Laurentide_ the following night," Harry said, pronouncing the restaurant's name flawlessly with a charming French accent.

"Fantastic restaurant, that one," Augustus replied, impressed with Harry's taste. "Arabella and I thoroughly enjoy dining there ourselves. Have you tried their fried oysters?"

Before Harry could answer, a triangle was rung and an immaculately dressed house-elf announced, "Dinner is ready, ladies and gentlemen. If you will, please follow me into the dining room."

Augustus apologized for the interruption, assuring Harry they would continue their conversation later. Then, the hosts and guests did as the house-elf instructed, led by Augustus and Arabella, who walked arm in arm, and followed immediately by Harry and Daphne, who mimicked the couple in front of them perfectly.

x

When they were all seated, Harry noticed Draco Malfoy for the first time that night, spying him at the opposite end of the table. The snobby prat did not look to have changed at all and still drew the same instinctual response from Harry, as he could feel his ire already building up at the sight of Malfoy's familiar sneer. To his right was a woman who looked very much like Daphne, though younger and with dark brown hair; Harry assumed that could only be Malfoy's wife and Daphne's sister, Astoria. To their right was a disinterested-looking middle-aged man seated between an older man and woman, while Augustus and Arabella Greengrass were between them and Harry and Daphne. Finally, to his and Daphne's right were two much older-looking couples and a child in a booster chair, whom he assumed to be Draco and Astoria's son.

"Harry, I would like you to meet Mr. Thibeus Stroud, his mother Mrs. Helena Stroud, and his father Mr. Cassius Stroud," Augustus said, gesturing towards his left. "I do not believe Mr. Potter needs any introduction," he said with a smile. "To your right, Harry, are my own parents Hercule and Eleanor, while beside them are Arabella's parents Richard and Catherine. I believe you already know Draco and Astoria, though might not have met their son, Scorpius."

Introductions completed, the entrées began being served and the conversations split off into small groups. Daphne's grandparents seemed happy to talk amongst themselves, while Draco and Astoria kept to themselves, leaving the rest of the people at the table to converse with one another.

Harry soon discovered that Thibeus Stroud was the suitor that Daphne was apparently supposed to be marrying. He looked to be at least thirty years her senior and a complete bore. When it was revealed that Harry and Daphne were dating, he actually did not seem at all disappointed, though his parents were obviously perplexed as to the situation at hand. Nevertheless, they took it in stride and reveled in the opportunity to grill the vanquisher of Voldemort with questions.

He and Daphne nimbly answered them all, and from the satisfied nods of Augustus, they assumed they were doing alright so far. Throughout all these exchanges, however, Harry could feel Draco looking at the two of them suspiciously and knew he was unconvinced by their relationship, though he did not utter a word.

Halfway through the dinner, Daphne removed the light jacket she'd been wearing as she getting hot. This caused Thibeus Stroud to start obviously leering at her and undressing her with his eyes, which instinctively made Harry wrap his arm protectively around Daphne's waist. Getting the message and fearing the man in front of him, Thibeus abruptly turn his head away from the pair. At the same time, Daphne nearly slapped Harry when she felt his touch, but quickly caught herself before doing so. As her mother looked at them with a smile on her face, Daphne felt herself relaxing into his arm and actually found the contact to be natural and comforting.

Finally, as dessert was being served, Augustus said to Harry and Daphne, "Why don't you two stay the night? I am sure we would all like to get to know one another better, and we can do that in a more relaxed setting on Sunday."

Daphne was about to beg off, but her mother spoke before she could answer.

"Draco, Astoria, and Scorpius will be staying as well, so you would have the chance to play with your nephew, Daphne. Your father and I rarely get the chance to see you anyway, especially now that the school year has started, so we would love it if you spent some time with us and the rest of the family."

Daphne knew she couldn't refuse then and reluctantly said, "Alright."

Harry, thinking of his date with Tonks tomorrow, said, "Thank you for your very generous offer, Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass, but I am very sorry – I have previously-made obligations tomorrow, so unfortunately, I will not be able to stay. I would be glad to come by with Daphne another time, though," he added.

"No problem, Harry, I know you must be a very busy man, so I suppose the company of just your girlfriend will have to suffice," he said with a smile, obviously pleased with what he had learned of Harry tonight and approving of Harry's relationship with his daughter.

Everyone stood up soon afterwards, and the Strouds were the first ones to leave, thanking the hosts for the wonderful dinner. Daphne's grandparents were the next to retire for the night, graciously accepting dutiful kisses from their children and grandchildren. Finally, there was only Harry left to leave, and he was about to do so when Draco Malfoy spoke his first words of the night to him.

"Aren't you going to kiss your girlfriend goodnight, Potter?"

Hary and Daphne both looked at one another, searching one another's eyes in a silent war of words: Daphne obviously begging for him to just do it, while Harry staying reluctant and shying away.

"Or wait, are you guys not even boyfriend and girlfriend?" Draco said with a victorious sneer on his face.

Augustus and Arabella Greengrass both stood still at that moment and stayed quiet, raising their eyebrows when Harry and Daphne both continued hesitating.

At last, knowing she had to act fast, Daphne walked up to Harry and pulled his face down to hers. After a few seconds of resistance, Harry finally responded, molding his lips against hers and tipping her chin back gently. Daphne felt herself go dizzy and melted into the kiss as it went on, feeling her toes curl and losing herself in its passion. She didn't even realize it when it ended, only remembering hearing a, "Goodnight," and the leaving steps of Harry Potter before he jumped into the Floo. She then touched her fingertips to her lips, feeling the lingering sensation and wondering what in the hell had just happened.

* * *

><p><em>Okay, that was a longer chapter so I hope I didn't bore you too much. Review! Vote! Let me know how you want this story to continue. Next chapter Tonks comes back :)<em>


	6. A Broken Heart

Harry was wracked with guilt as he made his way to Hogsmeade to meet up with Tonks. It had seemed to be far more than a week since their last encounter, and Harry's emotions were in a mess.

Just last night, he'd been forced to kiss Daphne after that prat Draco called them out on their fake relationship, but Harry knew no one had forced him to deepen the kiss and enjoy the taste of Daphne's lips. He'd spent a sleepless night angry at himself for the transgression and was thus bleary-eyed as he neared Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop under a few simple charms to change his appearance.

He hadn't practiced Quidditch with Gabrielle that morning either, because as soon as his thoughts turned to her, he realized that she was another woman who had somehow wormed herself into his life in the span of just a week. Sure, he had convinced himself that nothing was possible between them, which was why he was able to spend so much time with her, but after his date with Daphne, he no longer knew if he could trust himself around either of the attractive witches.

With a deep breath, Harry gathered his Gryffindor courage and stepped into the tea shop to begin looking for his girlfriend. As soon as he set eyes on her, he laughed: only one woman had pink radishes for earrings that would have made Luna Lovegood jealous and unbelievably wild curls that would have made Hermione Granger grateful for the tameness of her own hair. His own glamour - a longer hairdo, a darker complexion, and softer features - was wonderfully nondescript in comparison.

"Hi Tonks," Harry said, his worry momentarily forgotten as he slid into the booth across from the woman.

"How'd you know it was me?" Tonks replied with a pout.

"You can wear demure robes, but your personality still shines through in your transformations – I'd recognize your quirkiness and _joie de vivre_ anywhere."

Tonks smiled and gave Harry a light welcoming kiss.

The kiss immediately made Harry feel guilty again and he realized how torn Tonks would be when he told her all that had happened. His thoughts were interrupted when Madam Puddifoot's considerable frame came sliding up to their table.

"Hello, sir, madam. What can I get for you today?"

"Could I have a chocolate frog?" Tonks asked.

"Of course! And for you, sir?"

"Just a coffee, please."

"It'll be just a minute," said the large woman, leaving as swiftly as she had appeared.

"Tired, Harry?" Tonks asked, now noticing the dark circles beginning to form around his eyes.

"Ummm...yeah, didn't get too much sleep last night."

"Teaching at Hogwarts isn't putting too much strain on you, is it?"

"No, no, it's not that..."

Here was the perfect opportunity for Harry to explain himself – which was of course also the moment that Madam Puddifoot returned with their orders.

After they gave her their thanks, Tonks changed subjects, and Harry grumbled internally.

"In any case, I've got a very relaxing day planned for us, so you can take it easy."

"What are we doing today?"

"That's...a...secret!" Tonks exclaimed as she took a huge chunk off the frog's head.

Tonks was extremely kind and possessed a huge heart, but dainty and lady-like she most certainly was not.

"You got some chocolate here," Harry said, pointing at the area on his own face.

"Here?"

"No, the other side."

"Here?"

"No, further down."

"Here?"

"No, you moved back to the left a bit."

"Ughh!" she said, then leaned over the table to capture Harry's lips in a kiss far more passionate than their first of the day.

"You get it for me," she said steamily.

Harry did as requested, slipping out his tongue to capture the offending chocolate. As he did so, Tonks own tongue slipped out, playfully duelling with his own.

Remembering the conversation he had to have with Tonks, Harry pushed himself back abruptly, leaving his girlfriend with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Tonks – "

"Hello, dears, everything alright?"

"Bloody Hell!"

Just as he was about to spill his heart out, who else came to interrupt him but the fat owner of the shop.

"Don't take that tone with me, young man," Madam Puddifoot admonished.

Harry was tempted to take off his charms and reveal who he was, but quickly regained his senses and realized that such actions would be tremendously petty, not to mention dangerous considering the secrecy of Tonks and Harry's relationship.

"I'm sorry, Madam. Everything is fine, but I think we have to get going."

"What, Harr – dear? You haven't touched your coffee and I haven't finished my frog."

"I don't want it any more and you can take your frog with you. Come on, let's go," he said, handing the appropriate amount of galleons, sickles, and knuts to Madam Puddifoot.

As they exited the tea shop, Tonks turned to him.

"Why'd we leave so suddenly?"

"I just wanted to go someplace quiet where we wouldn't be constantly interrupted."

"Well I don't know about the first point, but we should be left alone for the next activity!" Tonks said as she grabbed Harry's hand in her own, swinging their arms playfully.

Harry grinned at Tonks and let her lead the way, recognizing they still had the whole afternoon and night ahead of them and that he would speak up when the right time came along.

X

Harry and Tonks found themselves in Muggle Britain, seeking the movie theatre that apparently showed cult classics. They eventually reached the tall, old building and the attendant asked them which movie they wanted tickets for.

"Two for 'The Room,' please," said Tonks.

After taking a minute to pay for them with the appropriate bills, they entered the cinema and found a couple of seats at the back of a dark, nearly deserted room.

"Have you seen this before?" Harry wondered.

"No, but Fred and George said it was the greatest movie of all-time."

Harry immediately groaned.

"Come on, give it a chance. But whatever, that's not really the reason we came here."

Harry cocked an eyebrow just as the projection screen descended and the room was plunged into deeper darkness.

"You'll see," Tonks said, and Harry swore he saw a mischievous grin slide across her face.

Within a few minutes, it was obvious even to Harry that the movie was terrible. Yet, in a strange way, it was like watching a train wreck and thus drew him in. As a result, he wasn't really paying attention when midway through the film, he felt the fly of his Muggle jeans being pulled down and a small hand snaking its way into his boxer briefs.

Harry was about to protest such a public display of indecency, but was rapidly silenced by Tonks.

"Ssshhh. If we're quiet, no one should notice. Besides, the twins said that this was a normal thing to do here so even if we're caught, it'll be embarrassing but we should be fine."

Harry wondered if he could trust the twins on this fact when their previous one had been decidedly misleading, but those thoughts were quickly forgotten when Tonks began her ministrations.

At first, Tonks only used her hands, but even that was enough to bring Harry close to the edge. Sensing his impending release, she suddenly stopped, smiling at him innocently.

Harry groaned, begging her with his eyes to continue. Tonks took a quick look around them and after a minute, seemed satisfied with what she saw. Then, her head descended to Harry's lap.

It did not take long before Harry was in heaven.

x

The couple returned to Tonks' small apartment and his guilt was worse than ever. The same thing that had got him into this situation – namely, his sexual urges – was now the reason for his latest guilt trip.

"Would you like some tea?" asked Tonks, once they entered and both dispelled their glamours.

"No thanks, I'm alright."

"I'm going to my room, Harry. I'll be just a few minutes."

"Sure."

Once alone, Harry was able to assemble his thoughts and decide how he would tell Tonks about all that had happened over the past week. For his entire life, Harry had been recognized for his bravery and courage, yet these had always been dwarfed by another value: love. His love for his family, his friends, and of course his lovers had always taken precedent over all else, which was why he was having such a hard time in his current predicament. He knew that despite her hard and aloof exterior, Tonks was gentle and fragile at heart – whatever he told her had to be done very carefully.

He finally decided he would tell her part of the truth today and eventually divulge the rest later on in order to soften the blow. The last thing he wanted to do was cause Tonks pain and he thought that this course of action was the best way to accomplish that.

"Harry! Come in here, would you?" yelled Tonks from her room.

Harry stood up and straightened his shoulders, preparing himself for the confession that was to come.

As soon as he stepped into the room, however, all the words he had played around with in his mind were quickly forgotten because Tonks was lying on her bed in nothing but her lingerie.

The ecru bra barely covered Tonks' ample bust and created a deep valley of cleavage that hypnotized Harry. The matching thong made it obvious that Tonks had also groomed herself and Harry subconsciously felt himself growing with excitement.

When his eyes finally finished raking over her body and returned to her face, he found that her hair was back to its typical hot pink. But in Tonks' eyes, he found something strange... was that doubt?

"Harry, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

"What is it?" Harry said, wondering what she could possibly have to say in the current situation and in her current attire.

"You remember when we met last week and you were about to leave?"

"Yeah..." he said, replaying the event in his mind but not recalling anything that stood out.

"I wanted to tell you something then, but finally decided that our feelings for each other could not possibly change in the span of a week, so it could wait."

Harry felt a pit in his stomach, realizing where this was heading, yet he was frozen in place and completely unable to react.

"Harry...I love you."

She looked so vulnerable as she said this, staring into his eyes with all her barriers down and pleading with him to return her declaration.

Time seemed to stop, the only sign to the contrary being Tonks' brow slowly beginning to furrow and her bottom jaw quivering slightly. Finally, Harry could not take it any longer and broke eye contact – he could not lie straight to her face and say that nothing changed; he could not give her the words she so desperately wanted to hear due to the turmoil going on in his heart.

"I'm sorry, Tonks – I have to go."

Without another word, Harry disapparated.

And left behind in her room, Tonks felt tears begin to stream uncontrollably down her face. Sobs wracked her entire body and she curled herself into a ball, unable to come to terms with what had just happened. Had she misinterpreted their feelings for one another? Had she been too quick to say those three big words? What would happen to their relationship now?

Tonks continued crying throughout the night, still without any answers to the endless questions running through her mind. She finally descended into a restless sleep, unaware that Harry was having the same experience halfway across magical Britain in his chambers at Hogwarts.


	7. Au Clair de la Lune

Daphne watched as Harry entered the Great Hall and noticed immediately that he looked terrible. As she mentally prepared the right words to say to him, she saw him walking towards her...

...and then immediately past her to sit beside Hagrid.

Her first, unconscious reaction was one she had never felt before: as if someone had ripped her heart out and ruthlessly stomped all over it.

But her next, which was far more characteristic of her, was anger.

Who did Potter think he was ignoring her like that? Well, two could play at that game! She pointedly turned her head away from Harry's direction and seethed while concentrating to keep her outward appearance completely calm.

Daphne Greengrass had no idea that Harry Potter was completely oblivious to the war she waging internally and against him, but she kept it up all through breakfast, none the wiser.

x

The first meal of the day was over and another witch was irate because of Harry: Gabrielle tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for Harry to show up to the Defense classroom. As she ignored the conversation around her, she wondered for the hundredth time where Harry had been over the past few days and why he hadn't had the decency to at least inform her that he wouldn't be at their regular morning practices.

Her anger evaporated, however, when she saw the subject of her thoughts walk into the room.

Well...walking might not be the best way to describe Harry's slow trod to his desk, his feet dragging all the way. Harry looked like he'd just gotten out of bed and hadn't bothered to change his robes. As he slumped into his chair, his complete exhaustion was evident to all. Some quietly expressed shock at his appearance, while others (mostly girls) cooed and whispered about comforting their professor. Gabrielle found herself belonging to both groups, concerned as to what exactly had happened to Harry over the weekend.

After a minute or so, Harry finally lifted his head up to address his anxious-looking students.

"Hello, everyone. I sincerely apologize for my current state...external circumstances have had a significant impact on my life recently, but I assure you that this will not happen again. That said, I hope you will forgive me for not organizing a challenge this class."

A few students muttered their disappointment at the news.

"Instead, I'd like everyone to please read chapter 7 of "The Standard Book of Spells." I will be testing you on the spells in that chapter next week. You are dismissed."

Now, the grumbling was far more audible. Some students were glad to skip class and quickly made their way out of the room, but most actually enjoyed or even cherished the chance of being taught Defense Against the Dark Arts by none other than Harry Potter. Slowly, the students filed out the room, though a few stragglers stopped by Harry's desk to chat a bit.

"Are you coming?" asked Sarah Clarke, a fellow Gryffindor and new friend that she had made thanks to this class.

"No, I want to speak with Professor Potter for a minute. I'll catch up with you guys later, alright?"

Sarah nodded her assent, and then took off with a couple of her other friends.

As Gabrielle watched an obviously lovestruck witch place her hand sympathetically on Harry's arm, she struggled to stop herself from shooting daggers at her. Finally, the last students headed for the exit and it was only her and Harry left in the classroom.

"Hello Gabrielle."

"Hello Harry. How are you?"

"I'll be alright."

She noticed he hadn't answered her question.

"Sorry for missing the practices, by the way."

"Don't worry about that. What got in the way of them, though?"

"I'd...rather not say, Gabrielle."

"You don't have to deal with this on your own, Harry," the young Veela said suddenly, surging forward and grasping Harry's hands in hers.

That was the wrong move. Harry retracted his hands as if they'd been burnt and quickly turned his head to look away from her.

"I think it would be better if you leave now, Miss Delacour."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"NO!" she yelled.

That seemed to temporarily jolt Harry back to full alertness, but he stood firm.

"I'm sorry, Miss Delacour. I think I overstepped my bounds by spending so much time with you... I think it would be better if we kept this strictly a teacher-student relationship."

Gabrielle felt a pull on her heart, but she fought back the tears that were threatening to spill over.

"So you are withdrawing your offer of support? You said that if I ever needed someone to talk to, you would be there for me – is that no longer true?"

"Of course it is, Gabby! I would never abandon a friend."

At least he was back to using her first name.

"Well neither would I."

Harry seemed to be at a momentarily loss for words.

"Whether you accept it or not, you need someone to talk to, Harry."

"I'm fine Gabby, really – "

"No, you're not. Twenty students saw evidence of that and you even admitted it to them."

Harry could not deny that.

"So you will come meet me at 8 o'clock tonight at the top of the Astronomy Tower. I won't take no for an answer."

The young Veela started marching with a purpose towards the exit, not looking back.

"Wait! Gabrielle!"

She did not break stride until she reached the door, where she turned back for just a second.

"I'll be waiting, Harry."

And with that, she exited the room, leaving behind an even more tired and frustrated Harry Potter.

x

Daphne was on pins and needles as she picked at her lunch. She hadn't been able to properly concentrate the entire morning because of a certain green-eyed cretin, and as if that wasn't enough, her treacherous mind kept reminding her of how good of a kisser the arrogant Gryffindor was. Her periodic blushing due to certain vivid images popping into her mind had even drawn the attention of a few students, and she had had to give them the excuse of a slight fever. She chided herself for behaving like a hormonal teenager and was eager to set things straight as soon as possible.

Now, as she spotted the man in question entering the Great Hall for lunch, she deliberately avoided looking in his direction despite the unbearable urge to do so. All her senses were on overload as he stopped by her seat at the staff table...

...and then immediately went to sit with Hagrid for a second straight meal.

This time, the crushing feeling was immediate and didn't fade. She tried to draw out her anger, but found only sadness in its place. What on earth was happening to her?

x

Harry toiled through his afternoon classes, pretty much repeating the spiel he had given for his first class of the day. His heart was not into teaching at the moment – not into anything, really. That said, his mind did occasionally jump to Gabrielle Delacour, and their supposed meeting later that evening.

He'd made a vow to himself to distance himself from both her and Daphne Greengrass: he thought he'd been rather successful with the latter, but Gabrielle had been relentless - he'd have to set things straight with her when they met again.

"I'm doing this for you, Tonks," he thought to himself. "Even if you didn't ask or even know."

x

Daphne was a bundle of nerves for the final meal of the day. She'd spent the entire afternoon deliberating as to her next course of action, and it had been far from easy to finally accept the decision she'd made. It went against her very nature to concede anything, but she realized she didn't care – she just wanted to talk to Harry again.

She entered the Great Hall late and, as expected, saw Harry seated with Hagrid.

With head held high but a blank expression on her face, she made a beeline for the two of them and then seated herself beside the Boy-Who-Lived.

He seemed shocked by her sudden entrance, but continued the silent treatment – the prat.

"Hello Harry," she said as neutrally as possible despite the anger starting to rise up in her again.

"Hello Miss Greengrass."

And suddenly, her anger dissipated and she had to struggle to keep her composure. How was Harry simply calling her by her last name so hurtful? Had she not spent years practicing her Ice Queen persona, there was a very real chance she might have shed tears.

"You look tired," she said, trying again.

"Mmmm."

Not even a word this time. Why was he being so cold? Daphne continued trying to start a casual conversation with Harry, but he rebuffed her every attempt. In spite of this, when Harry finished his meal and made his way to the exit of the Great Hall, his absence still left her feeling empty.

Daphne looked down at her hands and realized the cold, hard truth: she was in love with Harry Potter.

Glancing back up at his retreating form, she clenched her fists and a sly grin spread slowly across her face. She then made the easiest decision of her life: she would fight for that love - Harry Potter wouldn't know what hit him.

x

He'd almost forgotten how beautiful it was up here. The endless vastness of space was breathtaking, the stars twinkled like beacons of everlasting hope, and the moon shone through the clouds to bring clarity to the dark, suddenly foreign land. As such, Harry didn't even notice that he wasn't alone in the Astronomy Tower.

"I love it here," said Gabrielle.

Had he not been completely sleep-deprived, Harry probably would have leapt out of his shoes.

"It makes you realize how tiny we all are," she continued, "and how insignificant all our burdens are in the context of the universe."

Harry was quiet for a while before responding.

"That may be so, but it's not the universe that has to bear the burden of our problems, it's us."

"Sure, but look at the stars," she said, gesturing. "Eventually, they'll all fade, but in comparison to us, they're eternal. Every time I look at them, I'm reminded of my mortality – they drive me to make the most of the limited time I have on earth and I can't do that if I let my burdens drag me down."

Harry thought he may have misjudged Gabrielle's maturity due to her age. Again, it took him a few moments to form a reply.

"So you're basically saying 'live life to the fullest,' right? But isn't grieving an integral part of the human experience? Is it not grieving –"

"– which allows us to truly appreciate the beauty around us?" Gabrielle completed, gesturing once again to the stars.

"Right."

"But that's where you're wrong, Harry. Don't think you've done enough grieving for a lifetime? Haven't you suffered and sacrificed more than any single person should rightly have to?"

Harry was silent.

"Let go of your sorrow so you can embrace happiness."

Harry bristled at her last words.

"It's not just a switch that can be turned on and off!"

Gabrielle did not seem taken aback by his anger and just smiled, continuing to speak gently.

"That's why I'm here: to help support you past whatever problems you're facing. So tell me, Harry, what is it that's bothering you?"

Harry spent a long time studying the young Veela. He had just started seeing her in a new light in the past five minutes and now he was seriously considering pouring his heart out to her. As he stared intently into her sapphire eyes, which shone almost unnaturally brightly in the moonlight, he decided to trust his gut and came to a decision.

"You swear to keep what I tell you to yourself?"

"Of course."

He paused for a moment, gathering himself.

"Tonks and I have been dating for close to three months."

Gabrielle felt a tug on her heart, but she resolved to focus on Harry, not herself. She nodded for him to continue.

"Anyway, when we met on the weekend, I hurt her...badly. I tried to go see her the next morning to apologize and explain why I acted the way that I did, but I learned that she went off on an Auror mission for two weeks. Since then, I haven't been able to sleep and the guilt keeps eating away at me..."

"Come here," Gabrielle said immediately, conjuring a large blanket and sitting cross-legged on it.

Harry was clearly reticent, but Gabrielle just tilted her head cutely to one side.

"Come on, I promise I won't bite."

Harry took a few steps towards her.

"The first thing you need right now is some sleep, and I can help you with that. So come on," she said, tapping her lap a few times.

Harry carefully lay down on the blanket. When Gabrielle continued to gesture impatiently for him to put his head on her lap, he finally complied.

Gabrielle played with Harry's messy locks of hair, massaging his scalp as she did so. Then, with a voice clear and true, at once serene yet also haunting, she began to sing:

_On me dit que nos vies ne valent pas grand chose,_

_Elles passent en un instant comme fanent les roses. _

_On me dit que le temps qui glisse est un salaud que de nos chagrins il s'en fait des manteaux pourtant quelqu'un m'a dit... _

_Que tu m'aimais encore, _

_C'est quelqu'un qui m'a dit que tu m'aimais encore. _

_Serais ce possible alors?_

_(I'm told that our lives aren't worth much,_

_They pass in an instant, like wilting roses._

_I'm told that the passage of time is a bastard_

_Making a coat out of our sorrows._

_Yet someone told me…_

_That you still loved me_

_Someone told me…_

_That you still loved me._

_Well could that be possible?)_

When she finished singing, Gabrielle noticed Harry was snoring and she giggled lightly. As she watched him sleep, however, her smile turned to one sadness: he was so strong in some aspects, yet so weak and vulnerable in others…could she be the one to nurture him in matters of the heart?

Gabrielle shook her head; now was not the time to be having such thoughts. She carefully slipped herself off of Harry and conjured a pillow to put in place of her lap. She then conjured some more blankets as well to make sure Harry did not catch a chill. Finally, she took out a piece of parchment and quill and then quickly jotted down a note, which she placed beside his pillow.

Satisfied, she knelt beside him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, delighting in her small, yet naughty gesture.

"Bonne nuit, mon cher," she whispered, before slipping away into the darkness.

* * *

><p><em>Alright, hope you enjoyed this chapter (Gabby!) – let me know what you thought in your reviews (let's get to 100!) and vote in the poll on my author's page. Next chapter will be Daphne-centric. Until then, mnidl<em>


	8. The Cunning Slytherin

It was cold outside and Harry woke up disoriented. It took him a moment to remember where he was and what had happened the previous night. He hadn't had such a good night's sleep in a long time and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

He noticed the note beside his pillow and smiled as he quickly read through it. Then, his thoughts turned to the reason for his good mood.

Gabrielle.

Somehow, the young Veela had managed to penetrate his armour and give him something he hadn't known he needed: a friend, a confidante, a pillar of support. Harry may not have been aware of it, but his feelings for Gabrielle were slowly changing. Or perhaps he was aware of these feelings, but simply squashed them down: he could not possibly regard the French girl, seven years his junior and his student, with more than just fondness.

Impossible, right?

Thus, Harry wandered down to the Quidditch pitch, eager to feel the rush of endorphins from a good workout and spend some time with a certain sapphire-eyed witch.

X

As he went down to the Great Hall for breakfast, Harry tried to re-evaluate his situation. He realized that there was nothing he could do to apologize until Tonks got back from her mission, so it was pointless racking himself with guilt in the meantime. That said, instead of sulking and blaming his behaviour on his weaknesses, he resolved to start taking more accountability for his actions.

First off, he would distance himself from Daphne – her ruby lips were far too much temptation. As for Gabrielle, he decided that their Quidditch practices were harmless fun and he would keep them completely platonic, as he'd done that morning.

Happy with his resolutions, he said hi to Minerva before greeting Hogwarts' Keeper of Keys and Grounds.

X

Daphne braced herself and then walked as nonchalantly as possible to Harry's side. Harry glanced at her when she seated herself beside him, but he just as quickly went back to concentrating on his food.

Yesterday, those same actions had felt like a stab in the heart. Today, they felt like the twisting of the knife. Daphne could not possibly let this show, of course, so she calmly went about eating her breakfast. She did not bother making any effort to engage Harry in conversation and as such, quickly polished off her eggs and toast.

Soon after, she got up to prepare for her morning lecture, leaving behind a puzzled Harry Potter. She did not know it, but Harry watched her retreating back with a look of regret.

X

Harry was a coward. Perhaps not when it came to battle or war, but certainly when it came to relationships. He thought back to his woeful past: Ginny Weasley and Michael Corner, Ginny Weasley and Dean Thomas, Cho Chang and Cedric Diggory...the list went on. In some respects, his upbringing by the Dursleys had left irreparable damage: when it came to the opposite sex, he was still a shy and diffident little boy, scared to stand up for himself and fight for what he wanted.

Tonks had helped him with that aspect of his life, being the best girlfriend he could ever ask for. She gave him strength and confidence and melted away his troubles and insecurities. She knew him for what he was, not the Boy Who Lived or the Head Auror, but the 25-year-old who had never fully developed as a man because of all the challenges he'd faced growing up. No one could know the pain and suffering he'd had to endure to bring peace to the wizarding world and Tonks never tried to; she simply accepted that the damage had been done and did her best to heal it.

Harry was broken from his reverie when a young girl of no more than 12 came up to his desk.

"Could you show me again how to do _Lumos_?" she squeaked, almost inaudibly.

"Of course, Dorothy," Harry said with a smile.

The First Year blushed hard and looked ready to faint. Harry gently calmed her down and asked her to show him her motion for the spell. He made a simple correction to it and before long, a bright light burst forth from Dorothy's wand.

"I did it!" she exclaimed with a megawatt smile.

Harry matched her smile and bent down to give her a high five. After returning it, she excitedly scampered off to rejoin her friends, eager to show them her new spell.

As he went back to observing the little wizards and witches practice their spells, Harry resumed his musings. He had not forgotten the promise he'd made to himself to help break Daphne out of her shell. Surprisingly, she already seemed to have warmed to him since then, but his rejection of her the past couple of days had made her retreat back into that shell.

Not on his watch. Recalling his morning resolution, Harry decided he would still distance himself from Daphne when it came to his personal feelings and desires, but he would try to be the best friend he could to her... no more, no less. He would draw a clear line in the sand when it came to their relationship and would not pass it. With that decided, Harry happily went about teaching his class another spell.

X

"Why are you ignoring me?" Daphne stated bluntly. She tried to disguise her hurt behind a mask of coldness, but her effort was in vain.

Harry had been about to speak up when he saw Daphne approaching, so he was left with his mouth momentarily agape, shocked at the pain in her words.

"I'm sorry, Daphne."

Daphne looked ready to give him a piece of her mind, but Harry motioned for her to let him finish.

"I think our date was a mistake. I think it may have misled you into thinking there could be something between us."

Daphne had somewhat expected those words based on Harry's recent actions, but they stung no less and she felt ready to flee to her room and cry away her sorrows.

"Of course, that's no excuse for the way I've been acting towards you. For that, I sincerely apologize and hope you'll forgive me."

Daphne took a deep breath to compose her herself before replying.

"I don't think our date was a mistake."

"What do you mean?" Harry said warily.

"I think we succeeded splendidly in convincing my parents that we're a couple. That was the plan, right? A favour for a friend?"

Harry looked absolutely relieved and a grin spread across his face.

"Of course, that's what friends are for!"

Daphne carefully chose her next words.

"Our kiss –"

Harry grimaced and immediately seemed to be on his toes again.

"– while certainly very nice, was only for show."

The breath that Harry had been holding in slowly escaped his lips.

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that."

Daphne could feel her heart breaking, but she put on a brave face and did her best to smile.

"I would love to have you as a friend, Daphne," Harry said.

"Likewise."

Daphne eventually left the Great Hall with a disappointed look on her face, but it quickly turned resolute when she accepted that being friends would have to do for now. She may have just surrendered one battle, but it was a necessary loss to win the war.

But something was still nagging her at the back of her mind: why was Harry so averse to starting a relationship with her?

At first, Daphne thought that Harry just wasn't that attracted to her, but on second thought, she was sure their kiss had been magical for the both of them.

She thought back to when Harry really started acting all emo after the weekend. That was just after they'd shared their kiss, but what was it that had happened in between then?

The same sequence kept running through her mind: magical kiss → ? → emo.

Were the first and last events even related? She considered what could be the potential causes of Harry's highly depressed mood. Even going back to their Hogwarts years, it was very rare to see him looking so miserable. Harry was probably the most selfless person she knew, which she grudgingly admitted was one of the reasons she loved him (ugh!), so he would never kill himself over something that only concerned himself; she'd seen him unfazed by potentially life-threatening attacks in the past. But if something were to affect his friends or loved ones, she knew that Harry Potter would be faithful and moral to a fault. If those values were ever put into question, they could be one of few causes for his depression. So the question was, what could have made him feel so guilty?

Wait! Could it be as simple as their kiss and the two events were directly related? If that was the case...

He must have a girlfriend!

Her elation was momentarily tempered, however, when she thought back to the time Harry had told he didn't have a girlfriend. Could she be wrong?

No, Daphne thought as she shook her head. She was almost certain she'd figured it out and that Harry had not been truthful to her. But why was he hiding his relationship?

After a few minutes of thought, Daphne couldn't discern the reason, but she still had a gleaming smile on her face: she knew part of Harry's secret.

Now, to use that to her advantage...

X

Daphne went up to Harry the next morning and promptly gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"What are you doing?!" he said, visibly recoiling from the contact.

Just confirming a theory.

"Just greeting a friend, Potter, would you relax?"

Yep, definitely a girlfriend.

"So, how's Ginny doing?"

"Huh?" Harry said, taken aback by the sudden question. However, he responded in a steady tone. "Fine, why do you ask?"

Not her...

"No reason, just wondering what everyone is up to after the war. Have you heard anything about her friend Luna?"

She'd narrowed it down to a few unmarried candidates whom she'd judged to be the most likely to have charmed Harry Potter.

"No clue – I had no idea you even knew Luna." Now, he was looking at her curiously.

"Sure, we spoke a few times. It's fun associating with someone without a mean bone in her body. I thought you might have heard the latest on her through Ginny."

"Nope, as far as I know, she's still editing the Quibbler and running around trying to find the Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

They both chuckled amiably, envisioning the blond witch with the radish earrings.

"Lovegood...very wise, yet very odd."

"No doubt."

Daphne turned the conversation to more menial things, trying not to arouse Harry's suspicions as to her recent inquiries. When she felt he'd been sufficiently distracted, she took a final stab at it.

"You know, I haven't been able to talk frankly like this with a man in a long time."

"Really, why not?" Harry said, turning his body more fully towards Daphne and now listening attentively.

"Well...to begin with, I've had less than a handful of meaningful relationships."

"No way," Harry said disbelievingly. "You could have any man at your beck and call if you wanted to."

Daphne smiled crookedly at the compliment, thinking of the irony of his statement.

"Perhaps, but I'm very particular and my parents' matchmaking skills often leave something to be desired."

Harry recalled their dinner date and sneered at the memory of her leering suitor.

"As a result," she continued, unperturbed, "Blaise Zabini was the only person I really dated in Hogwarts."

"How's he doing these days?"

"Very well, actually. He's used his calculating ways to rise up the ranks in the Ministry."

"Hmm," Harry murmured, unsurprised.

"How about you, Harry? You said Ginny's doing fine, but what about Cho Chang?" Daphne said, preparing her last attempt.

"She actually passed by the Auror offices not too long ago. I helped her out –"

"Helped her out?"

"You've got a dirty mind, Daphne. Besides, Cho's some kind of fashion designer – she's far too sophisticated for a slob like me."

Daphne mulled over that new bit of information and giggled as Harry slurped his soup in exaggerated fashion.

"So the thought of rekindling a past romance didn't even cross your mind?"

"What? No – Cho's engaged to some bigshot French wizard."

Well, she certainly hadn't known that. So it wasn't Ginny, Luna or Cho...those three were the ones she had considered to be the most likely candidates, yet she'd struck out. If Harry's girlfriend wasn't a witch he'd met at Hogwarts, Daphne would be taking shots in the dark.

"So you're saying there wasn't any female temptation at the Auror offices as a fighter of evil and defender of justice?" she finally said, frustrated.

"No!" Harry said, too quickly.

Oh? What do we have here?

"Why are you asking me all these questions about women, anyway?" he added with suspicion. "You know, I'm starting to get the feeling you weren't being honest yesterday when you said you just wanted us to be friends."

Damn, she'd pushed too hard. But she wasn't sorry, as she'd nearly gotten what she wanted.

"Come on Harry, don't get your knickers in a twist, I'm only teasing you. That's what friends do, right?"

Slowly and somewhat reluctantly, Harry nodded his affirmation and returned his attention to his meal.

Daphne steered the rest of their conversation to safer topics, hoping to set Harry's mind at ease as to the nature of their relationship. All the while, however, she wondered whom he'd met at the Auror offices and how she had captured his heart.

X

The answer came in an unexpected place. Daphne had spent over a week trying to worm more information out of Harry as discreetly as possible, but he would quickly clamp shut whenever the topic of women was raised. Hence, Daphne was irate as she performed her duties teaching Potions class.

"What is this pathetic excuse for Polyjuice Potion?" she asked Gabrielle Delacour, swirling a flask containing fluid that looked greyish rather than muddy.

The Slytherins in her class snickered, but the French girl did her best to ignore them.

"I hear you've been accumulating an impressive amount of points in Potter's class. Maybe if you put half the effort into Potions as you do in Defence, you might be a passable brewer."

Again, the Slytherins laughed and this time the Gryffindor girl reacted.

"Or maybe I do well in Defence because Harry doesn't treat me like shit!"

Muffled gasps were heard and a hush fell over the room.

"10 points from Gryffindor for disrespecting a professor. You will see me after class, Miss Delacour."

"_Salope,"_ Gabrielle cursed under her breath, though not quietly enough.

"_Tu n'es pas la seule à connaître le français, mademoiselle."_

Gabrielle had the decency to blush, thoroughly embarrassed by this point.

The rest of the class went by normally and Gabrielle headed up to her professor's desk at the end of the period.

"I apologize for what I said earlier, professor."

"That's fine, Miss Delacour," Daphne replied.

It was obvious to her and probably all of her classmates (or at least the girls) that the Veela had a crush on Harry Potter, but it made no sense that she was his mysterious girlfriend. That said, she had reflexively called him by his first name, which probably meant she knew him outside of the classroom, most likely as a friend. With that in mind, Daphne prepared her line of questioning.

"When did you become so familiar with Harry that you call him by his first name?"

Gabrielle seemed shocked by the question, and that moment's hesitation made it impossible for her to deny the fact.

"I'm not telling you," she replied resolutely.

Daphne employed the age old technique: silence.

When a few uncomfortable moments passed without a word exchanged, Gabrielle fell for the trap.

"Why don't you ask him yourself, if you want to know? You sit with him at every meal, so you have ample occasion."

Oh, was the little girl jealous?

"You like him, don't you?"

"What?!" Gabrielle said, turning bright red.

Daphne played her trump card.

"It's okay, so do I."

Gabrielle was visibly in shock and completely speechless.

"It's too bad he has a girlfriend," Daphne continued after a moment.

"You know about Tonks?!"

Bingo!

Daphne did her best to hide her elation as she tried to wrap up their conversation. She had gone into it just trying to do some fishing, but had unexpectedly caught the big one.

"Of course. Like you said, Harry and I speak to each other every meal. We're good friends and share details of our personal lives with each other."

Gabrielle looked at her professor suspiciously.

"Well so are we," she said, trying to establish her position. "That's why I call him Harry."

"Very well, Miss Delacour. I will ask him myself whether that is true, but in any case, you will address him as Mr. Potter in class, understood?"

"Yes, professor," she said, not seeming the least bit apologetic.

"Then you are dismissed."

As Gabrielle Delacour left her classroom, Daphne felt like jumping onto her desk and pumping her fist in celebration. Of course, that would be most unslytherin-like, so instead she leaned back contentedly in her chair…ahhh, she loved solving a good mystery. Now, to put the second part of her plan into action.

* * *

><p><em>Okay, hope you enjoyed Daphne's scheming. In other news, Tonks will be returning in the next chapter! Thank you everyone for all of your support (100+ reviews, 200+ favs, and 300+ follows!) – keep giving me feedback and I'll keep writing :) -mnidl<em>


	9. Strength and Weakness

Tonks wandered about in her apartment, walking back and forth aimlessly. So deep in concentration was she that she misplaced her footing and promptly slipped on her rug, falling inelegantly at the base of her fireplace.

It was of course at that moment that the subject of her thoughts came stumbling through the Floo Network, landing right on top of her. In Harry and Tonks' struggle to get their arms and legs untangled, the two of them only managed to nullify each other's efforts until finally, Harry found himself face to face with Tonks, their noses almost touching.

After several seconds of dead silence, Tonks suddenly burst out laughing, throwing her head back and inadvertently knocking it on the ground. In turn, this caused her head to reflexively rebound up, headbutting Harry in the process. As he grasped his injured nose, Harry rolled his body over so that it was sprawled beside Tonks', and his guffaws quickly joined hers.

"We're just a couple of klutzes, aren't we?"

"I'm so sorry, Harry!" she said in between laughs.

"No worries, nothing a little magic can't fix."

As they lay on the ground side by side and staring at the ceiling, Harry was the first to sober up.

"Besides, I should be the one apologizing," he said, turning to face Tonks.

The pink-haired Auror matched his movement and once again their faces were less than a foot away. This time, however, Tonks broke the ice by leaning forward and capturing Harry's lips with her own.

"I forgive you."

"No, Tonks, please hear me out before you say anything. There's no excuse for the way I acted the last time we saw each other – I was a total asshole and hurt you for no reason."

Tonks looked at him silently with big auburn eyes, running her hand down Harry's arm in a soothing motion.

"That whole day, I had something to tell you but I was too much of a coward to say it."

Tonks' arm stiffened, suddenly frozen in place.

"The day before we met, I went on a date with Daphne Greengrass."

Tonks felt like she'd been stabbed in the heart , but her blank, open-mouthed expression made it obvious that her heart had processed the news faster than her brain.

"It's not what you think, Tonks. Her parents were pressuring her to get married to some old creep and she needed to convince them to call off the arrangement. As much as I hate wielding my status around, pretending that we were seeing each other was a simple and effective solution. I only went on the date to help a friend, Tonks."

Tonks seemed to relax at his words, a slight smile appearing on her face.

"Okay, Harry, I understand. So why was it so hard for you to tell me this?"

"Well, things got...complicated at the end of the night. Draco Malfoy – the prat – called us out on our relationship and we had to kiss to convince everyone it was real."

This time, Tonks' reaction was swift, her lips trembling as her vision clouded from the tears coming unbidden to her eyes.

"Did it mean anything?" Tonks asked with a crack in her voice, appearing at that moment to be seven years Harry's junior rather than his senior.

"Tonks, I love you."

As Tonks jumped into her boyfriend's arms, hugging him tightly and burying her face into his chest, she didn't notice the look on Harry's face that came from telling the truth but not answering the question.

"I love you too." The sound came muffled and still with a hint of sniffling. "So that's what you had to get off your chest?"

Harry's mind momentarily darted to a certain French witch with whom he'd spent nearly every morning and in whose arms he'd been comforted out of his depression. Just as quickly, however, he discarded the thought – his girlfriend was currently extremely vulnerable and had shed far too many tears already. Besides, his relationship with Gabrielle was completely platonic, as he'd thoroughly managed to convince his conscious mind.

"Yes, my love," Harry replied, gently wiping the remaining tears off of Tonks' cheeks.

"Then I forgive you."

Tonks climbed up her boyfriend's body, and the couple lost themselves in their kisses that damp, afternoon day.

X

A few mornings later, Tonks was merrily humming a tune when she was surprised by a regal-looking owl flying through her window.

She did not recognize the owl and watched with curiosity as it deposited its parcel before quickly flying off, not waiting for a treat or other sign of thanks.

Tonks quickly used diagnostic spells on the parcel and judged it to be harmless. After opening it up, she realized it held a letter and a flask containing the unmistakeable silver strand of a memory.

She opened the letter first.

_Dear Nymphadora Tonks,_

_Judging by Harry's disgustingly upbeat attitude these past few days, I assume he's confessed his sins to you, you've welcomed him back with open arms, and the two of you are back to being a lovey-dovey couple. Imagine my surprise, then, when I noticed him continuing to spend immeasurable time with a certain French Veela... I realize you may mistrust me because of the kiss Harry and I shared, but let me assure you that Harry and I are only friends. And as his friend, I only want what's best for him – it's obvious you make him happy, which is why I think you should look at the memory I included with this letter...I thought you deserved this advanced warning._

_Sincerely,_

_Daphne Greengrass_

Tonks reread the letter once, then again another time to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her.

French Veela? Advanced warning?

As much as she wanted to just burn the letter and throw out the flask, there was a nagging doubt at the back of her mind. Her curiosity finally got the best of her; Nymphadora Tonks took the flask with her to the Auror offices.

X

Tonks made sure she was alone and would be undisturbed for the next half hour before depositing the memory strand into the Pensieve. Then, she took a deep breath to calm her anxiety before submerging her head into the silvery liquid.

X

_Tonks watched from a decent distance away as an unnaturally beautiful young woman waited by the Quidditch practice grounds. As soon as the girl caught sight of Harry coming towards her, her face lit up in a smile._

"_Harry! You're late!"_

_Tonks noticed that the girl had an almost imperceptible French accent._

"_Sorry, Gabby, I overslept. I'm getting too old to get up for these practices every morning." _

"_Pfft, you're in better shape than I am."_

_The witch blushed as she realized that she was staring at Harry's muscled arms, but the former Head Auror had already turned his back to her as he mounted his broom._

_Slowly, the scene shifted..._

_Tonks recognized the Hogwarts Potions room and saw a beautiful alabaster-skinned woman (who she assumed was Daphne Greengrass) speaking with the French Veela._

"_When did you become so familiar with Harry that you call him by his first name?" Daphne asked._

"_I'm not telling you."_

_There was an extended period of silence._

"_Why don't you ask him yourself, if you want to know? You sit with him at every meal, so you have ample occasion."_

"_You like him, don't you?"_

"_What?!" Gabrielle said, turning bright red._

_As Tonks was pushed out of the memory, two things were clear to her: one, the French Veela evidently spent every morning with Harry, and two, the girl was unmistakeably in love with her boyfriend._

X

Harry stumbled once again through Tonks' Floo, but this time found his girlfriend sitting patiently on the couch waiting for him.

When he'd received Tonks' short letter to come meet her as soon as possible, it had immediately struck him as odd; it was rare for Tonks to arrange such impromptu meetings. Hence, it was with apprehension that Harry advanced to the couch to sit beside his girlfriend.

"Would you like some tea, Harry?" Tonks asked serenely.

"No, thank you. Why did you want us to meet so urgently? Did you miss my ugly mug that much?" Harry said, trying to lighten the mood.

Tonks just looked at him impassively, not reacting to his joke.

"Do you have anything you want to tell me, Harry?"

"Huh? What do you mean? You sent me the letter, so I thought you had something to tell me."

It seemed as though Tonks was having a calm walk by the lake and had decided to strike up a conversation with an unknown passerby. Harry was unnerved by her uncharacteristic behaviour and wondered what she was expecting him to say. He'd already told her told her about Daphne...

"I promise you that Daphne and I are only friends, Tonks."

"I know that, Harry. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Did she mean Gabrielle? But she couldn't possibly know about the French girl...besides, as he seemed to be repeating to himself for the hundredth time, their relationship was completely platonic.

"No, what are you talking about, love?"

"Don't call me that," Tonks said barely above a whisper.

"Pardon?" Harry said, not sure he'd heard her correctly.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Tonks screamed, calm exterior completely gone now as she leapt to her feet. "I could handle a date as a favour for a friend...even a kiss, for Merlin's sake! But I will not accept being lied to."

"Is this about Gabrielle? She's my student and not even an adult, Tonks! There's no way we're anything more than friends," Harry said, also getting to his feet.

"Just like Daphne Greengrass, right?! I think your definition of 'friends' seriously differs from mine. If that's the case, maybe I should be worried about both of them, what with you spending so much time with them at Hogwarts."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but realized he had no words of retort.

"Get out, Harry James Potter! GET OUT!" Tonks screamed, pushing Harry towards her fireplace.

"Stop Tonks, you don't mean that."

"Get out or I'll hex you," Tonks said with her wand raised, and Harry had no doubt she would make true on that promise.

Harry looked intently into Tonks' eyes, holding on to the hope that this whole situation was an elaborate joke, but he realized Tonks was dead serious. With one last, longing glance at her, his eyes teeming with anguish and regret, Harry stepped through the magical fire.

As soon as he did, Tonks fell down in a heap, all fight leaving her. As she waged a losing war to hold back her tears, she reasoned that this was for the best: she was a Black, a metamorphmagus, and an auror. She was **strong** and wouldn't let anyone walk all over her – conqueror of Voldemort or not.

X

Harry hadn't consciously Apparated to this place. In hindsight, he was lucky he hadn't splinched himself, but that wasn't exactly at the forefront of his mind at the moment.

As he wandered down the long driveway to the quaint but charming house, he almost couldn't remember the last time he'd been there.

He dug into his memories, recalling the birth of their youngest child – what had that been, nearly a year ago?

He stood on the porch and raised his arm, but a sound surprised him as he was about to knock.

"Rose! Get off that table! Ron, help me out, here!"

"I'm busy with Hugo, Hermione! How many bloody litres of piss can come out of a baby?!"

"Language, Ron!"

Harry walked over to the large bay window and watched his old friends as they struggled with their two kids.

They looked good, he thought. Tired and probably with a few more pounds than when he'd last seen them, but they were undoubtedly happy. He probably knew his best friends better than he knew himself, and of that he was sure.

As he continued watching the couple run around trying to control their kids, Harry smiled in joy. His lips turned into a grim line, however, when he remembered why he hadn't visited in so long: his two friends were far too busy to have time for him nowadays. Ron and Hermione already had a ton on their plate and Harry did not feel right adding onto it.

Thus, he slinked away from the house, his next Apparition destination clear in his mind.

X

"Firewhiskey, please," Harry said to Tom after taking a stool at the bar.

Harry was using the same glamour charm he'd used on his date with Tonks, which now felt like ages ago. He remembered the last time he'd gone to the Leaky Cauldron without a glamour on: it had been fairly busy that night, and the moment Harry had stepped into the room, a raucous cheer had erupted from the patrons followed by countless free drinks. He was still amazed by the reception he received even years after the war, but he was no less used to the attention and the bright lights; hence, he was in no mood of making next morning's Daily Prophet due to a night he was planning on having no recollection of.

"First one's on the house – you look like you could use it," said Tom, placing t he tumbler in front of Harry.

Harry nodded his gratitude before taking a large gulp of the drink, the smooth liquid already dulling his senses – just like he wanted. Too much cognizance led to too much thinking, which led to too much introspection and pain.

His mind seemed to subconsciously betray him when he was at his weakest, attacking him with the same thoughts of abandonment that plagued him practically since the moment he was born. His parents had left his life before he ever had the chance to get to know them; his adopted parents had treated either like dirt or like he didn't exist; his classmates had turned their back on him during the "Potter Stinks" period; and his best friend Ron had left him and Hermione when they'd needed him the most. These experiences made him constantly doubt himself in spite of the fact that he'd defeated Lord Voldemort and by all accounts was one of the greatest heroes living in the present day.

It was on this last thought that Harry tried to cling to as he signalled at Tom for another drink.

"Thanks for your earlier gesture," Harry said once the bartender arrived. "I'd like to buy everyone a round to return the favour – anonymously, please."

"With pleasure."

The patrons were quick to express their joy when Tom made his announcement, and Harry leaned back contentedly as he observed the smiling faces of carefree wizards and witches. A decade ago, this scene would have been impossible to fathom and Harry could not deny that he had played an integral part in forming this new world.

Harry thought of the little boy underneath the staircase...there was no doubt he had come far from that point. He could be proud of the man he'd become. But for now, in this instance in time, he would allow himself a short reprieve and simply drown away his sorrows. He deserved this liberty: to be just as weak and imperfect as all the rest of humanity.

X

Gabrielle was at the Gryffindor table playing with her mashed potatoes when she observed Harry Potter stumbling into the Great Hall. She noticed at once that something was wrong and stood up to intercept him.

When she got closer to him, it was obvious what the problem was: Harry Potter was drunk.

"Have you been drinking, Harry?" Gabrielle asked, trying to stabilize Harry with her arms.

"Leave me alone," Harry said, pushing the Veela away.

"What's wrong, Harry? What happened?"

"Tonks dumped me...I think. She doesn't believe we're just friends," he slurred.

"It's my fault," Gabrielle whispered.

"What do you mean?"

Gabrielle debated confessing to her inebriated love, but decided that this was definitely neither the time nor place. Moreover, she didn't want to lose his friendship.

"Never mind, don't worry, Harry. I'll speak to Tonks and fix this."

Harry was too drunk to really process her words, and just proceeded forward to the staff table.

This time, it was Daphne Greengrass who blocked his path, catching him in her arms to prevent him from falling.

"Thank you for your help, Miss Delacour, but I will take it from here."

Gabrielle was about to protest, but her teacher quickly cut her off.

"I said I will take care of it, Miss Delacour. Did I not make myself clear?"

The French Witch narrowed her eyes at the Potions Master in challenge, but the latter met her gaze unflinchingly. Finally, Gabrielle walked off with a huff.

"Come on, Harry. Let's get you back to your chamber," Daphne said, slinging Harry's arm around her shoulder and circling her free arm around his waist.

All the while, the Great Hall of Hogwarts was immersed in chatter, the students all curious about the spectacle occurring before their eyes. Right before leaving the Great Hall, Daphne Greengrass turned her head back and gave all the students an icy blue stare – it quickly shut them up.

X

As the two teachers slowly trudged along, occasionally passing by a wide-eyed student, Daphne observed Harry. She saw that he was highly depressed and was even worse off than last time.

"I thought she loved me, Gabby."

"It's Daphne, Harry."

"I love her," Harry continued, unperturbed.

Daphne felt a pang at those words, but kept trekking forward with Harry.

She realized that her plan had worked, but her heart ached as she watched him filled with so much pain. The fact that she gained no satisfaction in her supposed "victory" and would have undone everything if it was possible to save Harry from his pain was no small surprise to her.

So that's what it's like to be in love, she thought to herself. To care for someone more than you care for yourself. As Harry started leaning more heavily on her, Daphne smiled happily.

"We're here, Harry," she said, when they arrived at his door and she regretfully let go of him.

"You're so pretty," Harry said, now that he was facing Daphne.

Daphne blushed at the compliment in spite of the circumstances.

"I'm flattered Harry, but you should get some sleep. Tell me that again in the morning, alright?"

"No," Harry said, now brushing his hand across Daphne's warm cheek.

"Excuse me?" Daphne said, raising one finely-sculpted eyebrow.

Harry did not say anything. Instead, his lack of inhibitions led him to act on his subconscious desires: Harry leaned in to Daphne and captured her lips hard and with unrestrained passion.

* * *

><p><em>Gotta give the people what they ask for, right? On another note, the same comment has come up a few times in reviews so I'll address it here: this story will not be a harem and as such will probably not end happily for two out of the three witches. Hence, do not expect otherwise and be prepared for much heartbreak in the future. Lastly, I've posted a new story – please check it out if you have the time! Thanks! <em>


	10. When It All Falls Apart

When Gabrielle had stormed out of the Great Hall, she had no actual intention of wiping her hands clean of the situation. Harry was her friend, her mentor...and hopefully would become something more. He was an important person to her and there was no chance in hell she was going to let some snake take advantage of him when he was at his weakest.

Hence, Gabrielle kept her distance and surreptitiously hid behind corners as she carefully followed Harry and Professor Greengrass down the numerous hallways of Hogwarts. She growled in annoyance at the fact that her Potions teacher seemed to be enjoying the physical contact with Harry a bit too much, but Gabrielle quickly put a hand over her mouth to mute the sound. The action was unnecessary, however, as Harry was off in another world and Professor Greengrass was focusing all her attention on keeping him as grounded as possible in this one.

Finally, they came to a stop at what Gabrielle assumed to be Harry's bedroom and Harry seemed to be telling Professor Greengrass something. The Veela advanced forward just a bit to try to hear what they were saying, but their words were still undecipherable.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Professor Greengrass blushed and before she knew it, Harry was kissing her.

Her blood boiling, Gabrielle marched forward resolutely to break up the situation. However, just as she was about to speak, her words were taken right out of her mouth.

X

"Stop, Harry."

Daphne broke off the kiss almost as quickly as it had started, but even then, her cheeks were still rosy from the brief contact. With her chin tucked in to avoid making eye contact with Harry, she gently pushed him off her.

"This isn't right...go to bed, Harry."

She opened his door for him and he stumbled in as if on reflex. As soon as he did, she shut the door behind him and quickly walked away from his bedchamber. She came to a sudden halt after just a few steps, but saw nothing out of the ordinary when she turned around quickly.

Was it just her imagination, or had she spotted something out of the corner of her eye just as she left Harry? Her mind was still in a haze so maybe it was playing tricks on her...she decided to leave it at that and restarted her brisk pace away from the man who haunted her dreams.

X

Harry did not stumble into the Great Hall the next morning, but his laborious gait left no doubt that last night had left its mark on him.

"Ughhh..." he said as he sat down in his customary spot.

"Good morning to you too," said Daphne, looking perfectly done up in the image of a porcelain doll.

"So...from the glances I've been getting, I'm guessing I decided to swing by the Great Hall yesterday evening?"

"That would be correct."

"I didn't make too much of a fool of myself, did I?"

"No, I shepherded you back to your room as soon as you made your appearance."

"And that's all that happened?"

Daphne focused her gaze on him, her steady stare amplifying his anxiety.

"You really don't remember anything from last night?"

"Not a blip."

"Well nothing happened. You were the perfect gentleman while drunk."

"Phew!" he exclaimed, eagerly digging into his breakfast with his mind now at ease.

Daphne watched him quietly with a neutral expression.

X

Tonks walked with trepidation towards the Defense classroom, on the one hand, because she'd never taught a class, and on the other, because her real reason for visiting was waiting behind that door.

When she'd made the request to Headmistress McGonagall to give a guest lecture, the guileless old witch had slowly arched an eyebrow before accepting the offer. McGonagall undoubtedly knew that Tonks had ulterior motives, but did the Auror the favour of not inquiring into them, for which Tonks was tremendously grateful.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Tonks knocked on the door.

"That must be her right now," she heard through the door. "Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Auror Nymphadora Tonks."

The door opened before her and she found herself blushing as she exchanged smiles with Harry.

"Thank you, Harry – I mean, Head Auror – I mean _Professor_ Potter."

A few laughs punctuated the polite clapping of the students, causing the tips of Tonks' hair to turn bright pink.

"Hey, how'd you do that?" asked a boy near the front.

"You mean this?" said Tonks, transforming her nose into an elephant's trunk.

This time, the students' laughter was unrestrained and genuine curiosity lit up their eyes.

"As you all can see," said Harry, "Miss Tonks is one of the few living Metamorphmagi. As such, no one is more qualified to be giving this lecture on the art of subterfuge and disguise."

Tonks smiled at the praise.

"You're too kind, Professor Potter. Anyhow, I suppose we should get this show on the road! So kids, let's talk glamours..."

X

"You know, you didn't have to arrange a guest lecture just to get into contact with me," said Harry, after the class had ended and all the students had filed out.

"I know, but I thought it would be fun to give teaching a shot and I admit it was a pleasant surprise. Besides, I wanted to show you how serious I am about what we have, Harry."

"And what do we have, Tonks?" said Harry, looking intently into Tonks' eyes.

She matched his gaze before replying.

"I love you, Harry. I have for a while, and I don't expect that to change any time soon. I think that's why I may have overreacted when I got the letter from Daphne."

"Wait, you got a letter from Daphne?" said Harry, mulling over that new information.

"Yeah, that's how I learnt you spend every morning with the Veela girl."

How had Daphne known about Gabrielle, let alone Tonks? But it was all starting to make sense now and at the heart of it all was Daphne Greengrass...he should have known.

"Come on, Tonks. She's my student and she's seventeen, you can't seriously believe I would even _consider_ starting a relationship with her."

"I know, but I was just so filled with jealousy when I got the news and it took me a while to figure that out. That's why I'm here now, Harry."

"Listen Tonks, I don't want there to be any doubt in your mind as to my feelings for you. If you want me to make a magical vow that I'll stay true to you, I will."

"No, Harry," she said quickly, "I trust you. And I know that Gabrielle is a good person, since she's the one who got me to see things clearly and arrange this whole meeting."

Harry smirked; once again, he should have known – it seemed the witches in his life were running his life.

"I think so, too. She's a bright and talented witch and I'd like to continue being her mentor. But what about Daphne?"

Tonks hesitated for a moment.

"Again, I trust you, Harry. Our relationship will never survive unless we both trust one another. So if you still want to be friends with Daphne, I have no problem with it."

"I love you," said Harry, trying to pour all his feelings into the words.

Tonks face burst into a smile and a few tears of happiness came to the corner of her eyes.

"I love you, too."

The reconciled couple kissed, only to be interrupted by the shocked squeal of little Dorothy, who had come early to her favourite class.

Tonks quickly broke off the embrace, embarrassed, but Harry simply put his index over his mouth and winked at the young witch.

"Shhh, you can keep a secret, right?"

Dorothy nodded fervently, still looking back and forth between the two adults in disbelief.

"Thanks, Dorothy," said Harry, mussing up her hair. "How about we meet again on the weekend, Tonks?"

"Sure, Harry, I'd like that. I'll see you then."

X

"Will you be at the Quidditch match?" Gabrielle asked after she and Harry had finished that morning's practice and were stretching out their wonderfully sore muscles.

"Of course! Gryffindor versus Slytherin, it doesn't get any better than that! Besides, my protégé will be playing."

Gabrielle snorted in a dignified manner that was so befitting of her upbringing.

"Pfft...protégé? I seem to recall beating you more often than not in our little practice matches."

"That's only because I was taking it easy on you," Harry said with a smile.

Gabrielle punched him on the shoulder.

"Honestly though, you've been a tremendous help – thank you, Harry."

"My pleasure, though I should be thanking you for keeping me in shape while providing wonderful company for my morning exercise."

Gabrielle flashed him a megawatt smile.

"Based on your chipper mood these past few days, I'm assuming you and Tonks are back together?"

"Yes, and I should thank you for that. Are you sure you weren't supposed to be sorted into Slytherin?"

She jabbed him again on the shoulder.

"Would a Slytherin have the guts to punch the Boy Who Lived?"

"Touché."

X

The match was a blow-out. Gryffindor's Chasers were scoring seemingly at will and dodging Bludgers with contempt. When the flyers in red and gold were up by over 100, Gabrielle Delacour suddenly turned and started flying directly towards Harry.

He stood shocked, having no clue what the Veela was doing. Before reaching him though, she gave him a wink and just as suddenly took off, the Slytherin Seeker hot on her heels in a desperate attempt to salvage an otherwise hopeless game.

A moment later, the match was over.

"_That_ _cheeky little witch_," thought Harry, as the crowd all around him erupted in cheers.

X

Gabrielle was still basking in the afterglow of victory later that night as she prepared to go to sleep. To her surprise, however, she found something waiting for her on her bed.

Moving closer, she realized it was a portrait of her and Harry laughing together after one of their Quidditch practices. She turned the frame over and read the note scrawled there.

_Congratulations, Gabby! I knew you could do it and would make Gryffindor proud! I wasn't sure what to get you that you don't already have or couldn't easily afford, so I got you this gift: I've always thought that memories and experiences are the most valuable things in life. Anyway, enjoy the moment and share it with friends and loved ones – that's what makes it all worthwhile._

_Yours,_

_Harry_

_P.S. I had Hagrid (he can be surprisingly sneaky!) snap this photo of us after one of our practices._

Gabrielle smiled at the little note before hugging the picture tightly to her chest. She had no idea how Harry had gotten it to her room, but then again, he was Harry Potter after all.

His gift was perfect and as she settled into her bed, she quickly muttered locking and silencing charms to ensure her privacy. When that was done, one dainty hand slid underneath her covers, while the other held the picture of her and Harry close to her face.

She licked her suddenly dry lips as she stared at Harry's toned muscles, which were accentuated by his tight T-shirt and the fact that the latter was drenched in sweat and thus nearly see-through.

In no time, the hand beneath her covers accelerated its pace and Gabrielle let out little whimpers, gazing into happy emerald eyes as she reached the precipice...

"Oh, Harry!" she screamed before the world collapsed around her and all she saw was stars. Gabrielle went to sleep with a beatific smile on her face, blissfully descending into a comfortable slumber.

X

As promised, Harry showed up at Tonks' place on Saturday afternoon and they shared a light lunch filled with easy conversation. However, right as they were finishing up their tea, Tonks' tone turned serious.

"You know, I've been thinking about what happened last time we met when we were caught kissing by that girl."

"You mean Dorothy? She would never break her promise and spread our secret, if that's what you're worried about."

"No, it's not that. It's just the fact that our relationship has to be a secret in the first place. Hasn't it been long enough after your resignation that we can come out to the public as a couple and end this whole charade?"

"I hate living a lie as much as you do, Tonks, but there's still one issue: what about the whole situation with Daphne and her parents?"

"Daphne is Potions Master at the age of 24 – you and I both know she'll figure something out."

"I suppose..."

"Harry, I trust you from the bottom of my heart, but I really think that this would be the best course of action in order for us to avoid having any more misunderstandings in the future."

"I get what you're saying and I agree...just give me some time to talk with Daphne – she deserves that much as my friend."

"Of course, Harry, but stay firm and don't allow her to change your mind."

Harry grunted his assent, hoping that Daphne's parents didn't marry her off to the highest bidder the instant they discovered that he and their daughter had "broken up."

"Thank you, Harry. I know how much you treasure your friends, but at one point or another, the web of lies you spun for Daphne's parents would have had to fall apart."

"You're right, dear. I'll talk to her next week, alright?"

"Okay, love, okay."

Harry ended their conversation by placing a sweet kiss on the lips of his girlfriend, but after a few seconds, the kiss quickly became more heated. Harry's hands traced down the outline of Tonks' body, committing to memory her wonderful curves. Finally, when their embrace had gone on for several minutes and neither had had the chance to take in a proper breath, they were forced to momentarily break apart.

"Bedroom. Now."

Harry did not need to be told twice, and quickly swept Tonks off her feet to carry her to her bedroom, eliciting a gasp of happy surprise from the woman now cradled in his arms.

X

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

Harry subconsciously checked his Occlumency barriers, thinking Daphne must have used Legilimency on him to read him so perfectly.

"You just look like even more of a clueless buffoon than usual, Potter."

Harry felt the anger rising up in him, but managed to push it back down; he was used to Daphne's games by now and would not fall for the bait.

"Awww, you're no fun anymore. Maybe I should fine some other victim to terrorize."

"Actually, Daphne, I wanted to talk to you about our relationship."

"Oh?"

"I talked to Tonks on the week-end and we decided to come clean to the public about our relationship."

"Both of you came to that decision, you say?"

Harry again checked his mental barriers; once more, they were completely untouched.

"It doesn't matter how the decision was made. We both agree that we can't keep living a lie, so I wanted to give you advance notice to figure something out with your parents."

"What if I say no?"

Harry wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly.

"Excuse me?"

"What if I don't want you 'break up' with me and publicly declare your love for someone else?" said Daphne with a hint of desperation and unbridled emotion.

"We couldn't have kept lying to your parents forever, Daphne," said Harry gently, using Tonks' argument to try to calm her down.

"I thought we were friends...why are you betraying me?" she said in a pained voice.

"Don't try to guilt trip me, Daphne. I still want to be your friend, but you can't make me choose between you and my girlfriend."

Daphne looked defeated and Harry was about to wrap an arm around her shoulders in comfort, but her next words stopped him in his tracks.

"Right, your _girlfriend_," she said, punctuating the last word. "Say, how long have you two been going out?"

Harry felt a shiver run up his spine. Now, he was really feeling paranoid and thinking that Daphne truly could read his mind.

"Last I checked, relationships between Aurors are strictly forbidden, are they not?"

"What are you implying, Daphne?" said Harry thinly.

"Well if you two want to come out with the _truth_ –"

"Stop! Enough, Daphne, what do you want?"

"I've already told you – for everything to stay just the way they are."

"Are you seriously blackmailing me?"

Everything was absolutely quiet for a moment. Daphne looked at Harry with a regretful expression, which threw him for a loop, as it was the last thing he expected to see on her face. He shook his head; he would not be fooled by whatever act she was playing this time.

"You know, I honestly thought there was something special beneath that cool exterior of yours, that you were actually a kind person at heart. Now, I realize you're just like the rest of the scummy bastards borne from your House who only care for themselves. You make me sick."

Daphne Greengrass watched silently as Harry Potter stormed out of the Dining Hall. Her house of cards had collapsed in an instant, leaving her trapped in the wreckage. She felt something touching her hands and looked down to see what it was; the completely foreign substance should have shocked and outraged her, but all she felt was emptiness. As the tears continued to stream down her face and pool into her waiting palms, Daphne Greengrass cried for the first time in twenty years.

* * *

><p><em>A big thank you to my new beta, RAfan2421! Once again, I've also posted a little one-shot which I hope you'll check out. As always, thank you for your continued interest in this story!<em>


	11. The Yule Ball

"My dear Harry, I had another vision of you!"

Harry nearly jumped out of his seat, as he'd been undisturbed at the staff table for a number of days now – he'd been pointedly ignoring Daphne since their last encounter, which had also soured his desire to mingle with any of the other professors. The Hogwarts Divination professor had no idea how lucky she was that Harry's reflexes had dulled somewhat since he'd resigned as Head Auror.

"Please don't sneak up on me like that, Sybill. We've been through this before."

"I'm sorry, dear, but it's been so long since I've seen you through my Inner Eye...I just had to come to you straight away!"

"Slow down, Professor. You didn't see anything dangerous, did you?"

"No, no...well, yes a bit. But mostly no. Maybe."

Harry sighed.

"Could you describe what exactly you saw?"

"Of course!"

The frizzy-haired woman closed her eyes and raised her arms in the air, swaying her body as she did so. She then took a long, deep breath before launching into her recitation.

"I see three women, all linked to you through a common thread. Behind each of these women is another linked by blood: three mothers, all guiding their daughters to you. There are lights and ribbons and all manner of fanfare at the centre, framing the scene in a kaleidoscope of colour."

"Is that it? I thought –"

"However, surrounding all of you is a darkness that is still far away, but which creeps closer and closer slowly but surely," Professor Trelawney continued unperturbed. "It may yet be pushed back beyond the edges, but if there is a moment of hesitation, it will strike and tear apart the very fabric that ties all your threads together."

Now, the Divination professor opened her eyes, exiting her trance-like state.

"How does that only sound a bit dangerous to you?"

"Because you're Harry Potter," she replied with a wide smile.

Harry just shook his head, uncertain whether or not to believe this vision – even if he did, how was he supposed to not hesitate?

"Thank you, Professor," he finally replied. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Sybill Trelawney walked away, the smile still on her face as she wandered off, probably to return to her crystal ball.

X

"Fleur! How are you?"

"Very well, ma p'tite soeur. It's so good to see you!"

The two sisters hugged each other in reunion.

"Likewise, I can't wait for Christmas so I can see my cute little nieces and nephew again!"

"They're not so little any more, Gabrielle, they grow so fast... but enough about my life, why did you want to meet?"

"Well, you see, it's about a boy..."

"Let me guess, it wouldn't happen to be a certain saviour of the world and your very own Defense teacher, would it?"

Gabrielle blushed but nodded.

"I'm surprised your little crush on him hasn't faded after all these years."

"It's not a crush anymore, Fleur. I've gotten to know him since the beginning of the school year and every day I feel like I'm falling in love with him more and more."

Fleur lifted her sister's chin up and looked into her eyes.

"You're serious about him."

"Yes," she replied resolutely, "but I know he doesn't think of me romantically and he even has a girlfriend at the moment."

"This is more complicated than I thought..."

"I know, that's why I came to you, Fleur, you're the only one who can help me."

"No, not the only one. Come, let's pay a visit to maman."

Within moments, the two sisters had travelled through the Floo Network and had arrived at Delacour Manor.

"Alby!" Fleur cried out.

With a pop, the house-elf appeared.

"Mademoiselles Fleur et Gabrielle! How can Alby serve you?"

"Please call maman, Alby."

Without another word, the house-elf disappeared, off to alert Apolline Delacour of her daughters' arrival.

Meanwhile, Fleur and Gabrielle went to sit on the couch in their family's luxurious living room. Mere moments later, their mother Apparated beside them and quickly embraced her daughters, giving each of them kisses on the cheeks.

"Quelle surprise! What brings both of you here – it's nothing bad, is it?"

"Non, maman," said Gabrielle quickly. "Fleur thought we could use your help for a boy I'm interested in."

"Oh, and who's the poor fellow who will be subjected to three Veelas' scheming?"

"Harry Potter," said Fleur with a laugh.

Apolline Delacour raised an eyebrow, but quickly realized that her eldest daughter was not joking.

"Alby! Bring us some tea and snacks, I think we might be here a while. If I'm not mistaken, the Yule Ball is coming up shortly, is it not?"

"Yes, in less than a week."

"Interesting, very interesting. But let us start from the beginning. Tell me everything about you and Harry Potter..."

X

"Who's there?!" yelled Andromeda Black.

"It's just me, mom, sorry for surprising you."

"Tonks? Oh, what a delightful surprise!"

Mother and daughter were soon in a tight hug, which they held for several seconds.

"I'm sorry for not visiting more often."

"Nonsense, popping by once a week is more often than my friends can say of their children. Besides, I'm not so old that I can't take care of myself, so your visits are perfect. I just wasn't expecting you, my dear, so what brings you here?"

"Well, it's about Harry."

"Have the two of you finally decided to come out to the public about your relationship?"

"No, not yet, but I think it should be happening soon. That's not what I came to you for, though. We've declared our love for one another and while I truly believe Harry loves me, I can't help but feel like he's slipping away. Am I being crazy and irrational?"

"No, Tonks, it was the same with me and your dad. I would get jealous whenever a pretty girl would smile his way, and I think that's the natural response to protecting a relationship you care deeply about. However, I never had any doubt that he would stray and that's how I pushed those feelings aside every time. Do you trust Harry, Tonks?"

"With all of my heart."

"Then prove to him that you trust him. I assume he's going to be spending the holidays at the Weasleys?"

"Yes."

"Alright, so meet with him on Christmas Eve and leave him with something special..."

X

"Daphne? What brings you here?" asked Arabella Greengrass.

Daphne knew she was doing the right thing, but she still felt unsure of herself.

"I have to tell you and Father something."

"Of course, dear,speak up," said Augustus Greengrass.

Even though he said that, Daphne still felt anxious as she prepared for her confession.

"I haven't been quite truthful to you about something."

"What is it?" replied her mother, a tinge of worry colouring her voice.

"Harry Potter and I are not dating. In fact, we never were."

"I see," said the head of the Greengrass household, his tone composed and neutral.

"I'm sorry for deceiving you, but I really had no desire to be married to Thibeus Stroud."

"Never mind that, Daphne," said Arabella Greengrass. "I thought – we both did – that you and Harry made a wonderful couple. Are you not interested in him?"

"He has a girlfriend, Mother."

"And?"

"Excuse me?" said Daphne, not sure she was hearing her mother correctly.

"Are you not interested in Mr. Potter?"

"That's not it, like I said –"

"Then I don't see the problem. You like him, your father and I like him – all we need is the final piece of the puzzle."

"Believe me, I've tried, but I think that may no longer be a possibility," said Daphne, unable to fully hide the sadness in her voice.

"Come here, dear," said Arabella Greengrass, gesturing for her daughter to sit beside her. "Augustus, could you let us ladies speak alone?"

"Of course."

As he exited the room, mother and daughter repositioned themselves face-to-face beside each other.

"Look at me, Daphne. Our House did not become one of the greatest and most esteemed in all of Britain by running away away in the face of a challenge."

Arabella grasped her daughter's hands in her own, clasping all four firmly together.

"So hold your head up high and remember our family motto."

"Greengrasses always get what they want," said Daphne automatically.

"Exactly, now tell me the real story of you and Harry Potter. Then, we can figure out how to make him yours..."

X

Harry whistled nonchalantly as he entered the Great Hall after another morning of rigorous exercise with Gabby. He noticed that she'd been acting odd for a little while now, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Regardless, pumping his body with endorphins always set his mind momentarily at ease from the troubles in his life.

He had to laugh at the absurdity of it all: throughout his teen years at Hogwarts, his primary focus had been on staying alive, whereas as the teacher of the notorious Defence Against the Dark Arts, it was his relationships with the opposite sex that preoccupied him – the irony of that was not lost on him. In a sense, he was glad to finally experience that part of growing up that he had never fully had the chance to in the past, though he had no idea how he would have handled it with hormones involved.

On the topic of women, Harry was glad to see that Daphne was nowhere in sight in the dining hall: they hadn't spoken a word to one another since Daphne's attempt at blackmail and the rift between them had not narrowed in the slightest since then. As for Tonks, she wanted to meet Harry on Christmas Eve to exchange presents – Harry was planning to tell her about what happened with Daphne then.

"Professor Potter, would you mind sitting beside me?"

"Of course, Headmistress McGonagall."

Harry hadn't spoken to his old professor in a while and was sincerely glad to catch up with her.

"How is teaching going, Harry?"

"Very well, thank you for asking. It's fun passing on whatever I can to the students."

"Well I think you're doing a commendable job. I know that yours is the favourite class for numerous students, so please keep up the good work."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Harry, glad for the praise.

"There's also another matter I wished to speak to you about."

"What is it?" asked Harry as he reached for a breakfast roll.

"As you may or may not be aware, the Yule Ball will be happening in the Great Hall on Christmas Eve."

Harry had seen a few students talking about it and others asking their girlfriends and crushes out, so he nodded.

"Obviously, after what happened at the Triwizard Tournament during your year of participation, I believe that was the final nail in the coffin for that competition. However, we saw no harm in the Yule Ball and thought it would be a nice social event to hold every year."

Harry again nodded, not quite sure where his Headmistress was heading with this.

"Well we've also modified the requirements to allow any student to participate, regardless of age. As a result, we'll need all the help we can get to make sure the event goes smoothly."

Harry managed to quell his groan.

"Can I count on you to supervise?"

"I'd love to, Headmistress McGonagall, but I already made a previous commitment on that day."

"I'm sure Tonks would be willing to re-schedule."

"Well, I'd have to ask – wait...you know about Tonks?"

Harry felt like the old witch had waited for him to put the next spoonful in his mouth before saying that.

"It's my job to know everything about my professors. But rest assured, Harry, my lips are sealed."

"Thank you," said Harry. He had no idea how she had discovered their relationship, but frankly did not care to look into it, as he knew their secret was safe with her. "I think she just wanted to exchange Christmas gifts since I'll be spending the holidays at the Weasleys again, so I can probably meet up with her after the ball."

"Excellent, Harry, I appreciate your help."

The two of them enjoyed a relaxed breakfast afterwards, and Harry thought about the present he would give Tonks.

X

The next few days passed in a blur, as everyone was eager for the Yule Ball and the subsequent days of freedom from Hogwarts. Consequently, students' concentration became more and more non-existent as Christmas neared closer and closer. Harry was also glad for the short reprieve, as he was looking forward to spending some time with his friends and adopted family, where life was so much simpler and more straightforward.

As he watched boys in the hallways muster up the courage to ask out girls at the last minute, Harry thought back to his own cringe-worthy experience with Parvati; he was glad he didn't have to go through that again now that he was dating Tonks.

He thought back to how they'd started going out: it had been anything but sudden, yet at some point they had somehow become a couple. Working together had always been comfortable and easy, but gradually they had started holding eye contact just a second longer than necessary or laughing at inside jokes no one else understood. Then, after solving a long-open case and celebrating at the nearby pub, they had talked the night away and ended up being the last ones left sitting at the bar.

"It's getting late," she'd said. "But we should do this again sometime."

"Definitely," he'd bumbled, too quickly.

He still remembered the way her laugh had burst out of her, yet it hadn't filled him with embarrassment – rather, he had just been happy to see her smiling and enjoying herself.

"Goodnight, Harry."

And with that, she'd kissed him on the lips before departing from the pub. At first, he hadn't even been sure that the kiss had actually happened, but the lingering taste of fruity lip gloss could not be denied.

So that's how they had started going out: with neither of them really asking the other out.

As Harry heard a First Year's voice rise an octave as he asked out a girl, Harry thanked his lucky stars once again for not having to go through that.

X

On the night of Christmas Eve, the Great Hall was absolutely decked out. Thousands of lights were sprawled across the walls and ceilings brightening the entire room, while decorations in the four Houses' colours were proudly displayed together: after all, the Yule Ball was a prime opportunity for all students to mingle regardless of House. The center of the room had been cleared for the dance area and above it hung a large mirror ball that shrouded the room in shifting colours mimicking the Northern Lights. Numerous small round tables were scattered around the edges of the room, while long refreshment tables lay against each of the walls. Finally, towards the back of the room there stood an elevated stage where the live sound would be set up: Harry had never heard of the band, but they were apparently well-known in the Wizarding world.

Harry had to admit that this was quite the extravaganza and reminded himself to compliment his Headmistress on her taste. He'd made sure to put on his formal robes for the event and saw that the students were dressed in similar attire.

All of a sudden, every single light in the Great Hall switched off and Harry went reflexively on edge. He felt like he was being paranoid, but then he remembered what Professor Trelawney had told him.

He grasped his wand tightly, casting _Lumos _instantly. As soon as he did, he heard dozens of high-pitched screams. Harry Potter looked around in all directions, in desperate search of a threat, but finding none.

Of course, a moment later a voice boomed out from all corners of the room, dispelling his concerns.

"How's it going, Hogwarts?"

The squeals of girls redoubled, in addition to fairly raucous applause.

"I hope you're ready for the time of your lives!"

This was received by more cheering.

"Welcome to the Yule Ball! Let's get this show on the road!"

With that, the band launched into an up-tempo song that Harry begrudgingly had to admit was catchy. As Harry leerily strolled around the room, he kept his eyes on the students to ensure that they didn't stick too close to one another or try to mess with the refreshments, gradually recovering from the scare of the blackout. The Ball was off to a good start, as the dance floor was lively and everyone seemed to be into the music.

A couple of songs into the event, his rounds were interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. As he turned around, he was greeted by a trio of Fifth-Years.

"Excuse me, Professor Potter, would you mind dancing with me?"

The girl's friends giggled as they awaited Harry's response.

"I'm sorry, Emily. I'm flattered by the offer, but the Headmistress made me a chaperone tonight, so I'm not supposed to be shirking from those duties."

"I understand, Professor. Thanks anyway!"

With that, the three witches wandered off laughing, periodically looking back at him over their shoulders before chatting amongst each other in hushed whispers.

To his surprise, Harry was asked to dance by a couple of other students in fairly quick succession, but he turned them down in a similar fashion. After that, the students seemed to have gotten the message and none bothered him with a request.

Harry checked the time and saw that the event was almost halfway done. He did a quick overview of the part of the room he was in charge of, once again making sure that everything was under control. He found that it was, but something did catch his attention. Standing by herself against a wall was little Dorothy, and if Harry wasn't mistaken, that was pretty much the same position she'd been in all night. Harry strode resolutely towards her.

"May I have this dance?"

"E-e-excuse me?" squeaked Dorothy.

"May I have this dance, Dorothy?" repeated Harry with his most welcoming smile.

"But I can't dance!"

"Then I'll teach you. Come on, the only way to get better is with some practice."

Harry extended his hand out to the girl and she tentatively put her own in it. Soon, the two of them were on the dance floor and the other students gave them a decent amount of room to manoeuvre freely.

"To start, just stand on my feet so that you can learn the movements, okay?"

"Okay!"

Harry guided the two of them through the song in that manner, but midway through it, Dorothy stopped him.

"I think I get it," she said while stepping off his feet.

"Then let's try this," said Harry eagerly.

Harry was soon grinning ear to ear: Dorothy was a natural. All too soon, the song was over and the two of them high-fived in celebration.

"You were great!" said Harry.

Dorothy blushed.

"Why don't you ask Andrew if he wants to dance?" he said, pointing at a bespectacled boy who seemed to be awkwardly standing around.

"Okay, thank you Professor Potter!"

"Anytime, Dorothy. Have fun tonight!"

Harry watched her walk off towards Andrew, happy with the recent turn of events. However, when he turned around, he nearly collided with the girl standing there.

"May I?" asked Emily, presenting her hand to him.

Harry took it, doing his best to keep the smile on his face. Of course, as soon as he'd finished dancing with Emily, another girl was glad to take him off her hands.

Harry was in for a long night.

X

Harry was exhausted. He'd been dancing non-stop ever since his dance with Dorothy and he knew that his feet would be paying the price tomorrow. Thankfully, he was saved by the next announcement.

"It's almost midnight, guys and gals. So unfortunately, that means that this is our last tune tonight."

The students' protestations were heard throughout the Great Hall, as the Yule Ball was still going full force.

"I know, I know, but we've had a blast and hope you enjoyed yourselves too. Goodnight everyone and safe travels tomorrow!"

The band launched into a slow song and Harry was unsurprised to feel a tap on his shoulder.

"Would you like to dance, Harry?"

Harry turned around and had to do a double take. In front of him was a goddess: long silver blond hair was bound up in intricate patterns to clearly present a flawless face virtually unblemished by make-up. Sapphire blue eyes were framed by pale blue eye shadow and pierced through him,while shiny pink lips looked deliciously inviting. However, his attention couldn't help but be drawn to her body, as she was wearing a tight golden dress featuring a plunging neckline. Her generous bosom was on full display, but it was further accentuated by a pendant that lay right in the middle of the valley of her cleavage.

"Gabby. You look..."

He couldn't find any word that gave justice to the way she looked.

"Speechless, Harry?"

"I'm sorry. Also, I'm pretty sure that's against the dress code."

"That's why I only came at the end of the Ball. Besides, I don't see you really complaining."

"Point taken. Shall we?"

Gabrielle graciously gave him her hand and soon they were right beneath the large mirror ball at the centre of the room. Gabrielle reached her hands around the back of Harry's neck, drawing their bodies closer. Harry tried just leaving his arms at his sides, but it was far too awkward; finally, he laid his hands on the curves of her hips.

"Mmmm," said Gabrielle, snuggling closer to him if that was possible and resting the side of her face against his chest.

"Uhhh, Gabby, I think you should back up a bit."

She said nothing and just started slowly grinding against him instead. Harry felt himself grow hard.

"Come on, Gabrielle."

He hoped that using her full name would convey his seriousness; he knew that simply pushing her off would just cause more of a scene, especially seeing as they were currently the centre of attention at the Ball.

"Shhh," she said, putting a finger to his lips. "This is my Christmas gift to you and yours to me. Let's just enjoy the moment, alright?"

"Fine," said Harry, but try as he might, it felt more like torture being teased by the young Veela when he was going to see his girlfriend moments afterwards. The guilt ate away at him, but as the song progressed, he did manage to relax somewhat into the dance. He became mesmerized by the light greens and bright pinks that shone across the room, their slow movement seeming to perfectly match the tempo of the current song. As the colours danced across the walls of the Great Hall, so did Harry and Gabrielle in the centre of the room, losing themselves in the magic of it all.

But in a flash, the song was over, and so was the night.

"Merry Christmas, Hogwarts!"

Slowly, the lights started to brighten and the students began to gradually stream out of the Great Hall.

"Thank you, Harry."

Before he could react, Gabrielle stood up on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then, with a smile, she twirled around and joined those leaving the Hall.

"My, my, Harry. What would Tonks think?"

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin – he really had to take his Auror training back up.

"Daphne," he said coldly.

"Come on, are you still giving me the silent treatment?"

"Of course I am!" said Harry angrily. "Do you not remember our last conversation together?"

"Listen, Harry, I'm really sorry about that. If I could take it all back, I would. But since I can't, I want to do the next best thing."

"What do you mean?"

Daphne raised her wand.

"I, Daphne Greengrass, swear on my magic that I will do everything in my power to ensure that the truth about Harry Potter and Nymphadora Tonks' relationship is never known to the public and that no one else divulges that information."

Her wand glowed to confirm the vow, causing Harry to stare at her suspiciously.

"Why 'd you do that?"

"You may choose whether or not to believe me, but I only have your best intentions at heart, Harry. Also, I've told my parents the truth, so we don't have to keep up our charade any longer."

"I have no idea what to think of you right now, Daphne Greengrass. You just show up out of the blue and swear a Magical Vow to me...wait a second, where have you been all night?"

"Right here, supervising the students."

"What are you talking about, this is the first time I've seen you."

"Obviously I was under a Disillusionment Charm."

"We could do that?"

Daphne smirked.

"Of course. While you were dancing the night away, some of us were working hard to keep everything in order."

Harry sighed, too tired at that point to care.

"Anyway, Merry Christmas, Harry."

And with that, Harry received the second unexpected kiss of the night, this time on the other cheek.

X

"Harry!" said Tonks running up to her boyfriend and enveloping him in a hug.

"Tonks, you have no idea how good it is to see you after the night I've had."

"Glad to be of service. Anyway, no time for chitchat, you can tell me all about it later, but for now there's only one thing that's important: where's my gift?"

"What gift?" asked Harry innocently. For that, he received a punch to the ribs.

"Never joke about that!"

"Alright, alright. Here you go."

Tonks tore through the wrapping paper to get to the present, but paused momentarily after opening the box.

"Harry, this is way too much," she said, delicately removing the gold necklace featuring a variety of gems along its edges and a large ruby at its centre.

"Don't worry about that, I have more money than I can ever spend in my lifetime. Here, let me put it on you."

Tonks presented her back to Harry and he swiftly clasped the piece of jewellery around Tonks' neck.

"The red reminded me of you because you're always pissing me off."

Tonks elbowed him without turning around.

"Geez, learn to take a joke. Honestly, it's because you're the warmest and most kind-hearted person I know – that's why I got it for you."

Tonks looked at him and felt her tears starting to well up.

"Now, now, none of that," said Harry, hugging his girlfriend tightly and rubbing her back. "Come on, where's my gift?"

As if a switch had flipped on, Tonks eagerly got out of the embrace and began rummaging in her pocket for the present.

"It's nothing fancy like yours, but I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will," said Harry, quickly unwrapping the proffered box before opening it. Harry took out the ring and slipped it on his finger.

"I guess great minds think alike – what's the red, though?"

"It's a blood ring. It was enchanted with my blood so that if ever my intentions towards you stray, the red will blacken. Remember the last time we talked?"

"Sure."

"Well you were about to swear a magical vow to prove you'd stay true to me...I wanted to return the favour so that we're able to trust one another unconditionally, and that's why I had this ring made."

"Thank you, Tonks, this means a lot to me," said Harry, now greatly admiring the bright red with which the ring shone. "Also, you reminded me of something: I talked with Daphne and she's already broken the news to her parents."

"That's great, Harry!"

Once again, the two fell into a comfortable embrace in each other's arms.

"I love you, Harry."

With that, Tonks kissed him on the lips and Harry couldn't help but recall the two other kisses he'd received that night.

"I love you, too."

As he watched his ring pulse brighter, he wondered what colour a ring made from his own blood would shine.

* * *

><p><em>Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out - hopefully the fact that it's longer than usual makes up for that. Leave your thoughts in the reviews - I look forward to reading them! -mnidl<em>


	12. What If

The snow lazily fell over the British landscape, covering the land in a thin layer of soft powder. At the Burrow, the house was packed and the kids were running amok, their contagious joy and excitement over their Christmas gifts spilling over and infecting all the adults.

"You really shouldn't spoil the kids, Harry," said Hermione.

"It's only once a year," he replied.

"That's also what you said at each of their birthdays."

"Oh lighten up, Hermione," said Ron. "Get in the Christmas spirit and let Uncle Harry loosen his purse strings a little."

Harry had indeed been liberal when it came to the gifts he'd purchased, sparing no expense if it meant bringing happiness to his friends' children.

"Fine, but he's making _you_ seem like Mr. Scrooge."

Ron didn't seem at all perturbed by that, instead smiling as the eldest of the next generation of Weasleys unwrapped his new top-of-the-line broom: Ron eagerly inspected it himself for quality.

"I'm married to a large, overgrown man-child, aren't I?" said Hermione with a sigh.

Harry laughed and continued watching the children's faces light up as they opened each new present. They dutifully thanked him whenever they opened one of his, and Harry felt as though at that moment, surrounded by all his loved ones in an atmosphere of joy, everything was right in the world.

Soon, the kids were off playing with their new toys, leaving the adults to sit around chatting.

"How is Hogwarts treating you, son?" asked the family's patriarch.

"Very well, Arthur. It's almost nothing like Auror work, but I find it to be just as rewarding."

"That's good to hear. Fleur's sister is in one of your classes, isn't she?"

"Yes, she's a Seventh Year."

Bill, Fleur and their two children were spending Christmas Day at the Delacours, but were supposed to spend the next week at the Burrow.

"You're not giving her any preferential treatment, are you, Harry?" said George jestingly.

"Of course not," said Harry, but his mind could not help but jump to their Quidditch training sessions.

"Well you better get working on that nepotism, then. All these tykes are going to be making their way to Hogwarts soon enough."

They shared a laugh and Harry was just relaxing into the comfortable ambience of the Burrow, content to listen to the others talking, when Mrs. Weasley addressed him.

"Harry, dear, do you have someone in your life?" said Molly. "You know, Ginny's not seeing anyone at the moment –"

The entire family let out a collective groan.

"Please, mum," Ron said, exasperated. "You haven't given up on that fantasy after close to a _decade_?"

"Hush, Ron – don't listen to him, Harry. I've been waiting far too many years for some more adorable grandkids to spoil; it's about time the two of you settled down, so why not together?" she reasoned, as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

"Congrats, mum!" said Ginny. "I'm 23 and you still manage to embarrass me!"

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady," said Molly, immediately admonishing her youngest child. "You two were such a perfect couple...I still don't understand why your relationship didn't work out."

"We were just kids, Mrs. Weasley. We grew up and realized that what we had wasn't love. I do have news on that subject, though," said Harry. He had always wanted the Weasleys to be the first to know about his relationship and felt that this was the right time. "I actually am seeing someone at the moment."

"Oh?" said Ginny. "Who's the lucky girl?"

"Tonks. We've been together several months now, and we're planning on revealing our relationship to the public after the New Year."

It felt like an immense weight off of Harry's chest to finally tell the people closest to him about the secret he'd been holding, even if he hadn't revealed the full details of it.

"She's a nice young lady," said Arthur, obviously approving. "Treat her well, Harry."

"Of course."

Molly still seemed at odds regarding the relationship, but finally smiled and nodded when she saw that everyone else was happy for Harry.

After briefly peppering him with questions about Tonks, the conversation shifted to other topics and Harry thought that he could enjoy the rest of his winter vacation without having to think about the subject – that would prove wrong very quickly.

X

The next day, Bill, Fleur and their two children arrived at the Burrow as expected, but they brought another person in tow.

"Hi, everyone," said Bill, hugging his parents as he did so. "For those of you who haven't met her, this is Gabrielle, Fleur's little sis."

Gabrielle smiled and gave a shy greeting – though she had known the size of the Weasley family, seeing them all together at once was a bit overwhelming.

"Our parents 'ave gone away on a romantic vacation, so Molly graciously offered to 'ost Gabrielle at the Burrowas well," said Fleur.

"No child should spend the holidays all alone when she has family she can be with," said Molly.

"Thank you once again, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," said Gabrielle. "I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it, my dear," said Arthur. "Come on, let me introduce you to everyone."

Harry watched as Gabrielle made the rounds hugging each Weasley, not certain how to feel about her presence at the Burrow. He wasn't sure if he saw the stunning silver-haired witch in a different light after the Yule Ball or whether he'd always felt that way about Gabrielle and just hadn't been honest with himself. When the subject of his thoughts had finished meeting everyone and took a seat beside him, it was the first time he felt nervous around the girl.

"How was Christmas, Harry?"

"Good," he said. However, after realizing that he'd sounded gruff, he quickly added, "How was yours?"

"Nice and quiet – I don't imagine that was the case here at the Burrow."

"No," he said with a laugh, "but I wouldn't change it for the world."

"I know it's late, but here, I got you something," said Gabrielle, presenting Harry with a small present.

"You shouldn't have," said Harry, slightly flustered. "I didn't get anything for you."

"That's fine, Harry, I wasn't expecting anything. This is just a little thank you for being such a great teacher this past semester and, of course, for being a friend."

Harry unwrapped the present and saw that it was a gold locket. As soon as he opened it, music started to flow from it:

_On me dit que nos vies ne valent pas grand-chose…_

The locket itself showed a moving picture of the night sky as seen from the top of the Astronomy Tower. A million stars shone brightly in his eyes, and at once, Harry felt as though he was transported to that place and all his worries faded away.

Without saying a word, Harry hugged Gabrielle tightly, eliciting a shocked little gasp from the girl.

"Thank you," said Harry sincerely. "I love it."

Gabrielle quickly relaxed into the hug, and could not help but appreciate her curves against his body.

"Ahem," coughed Ginny. "Is Tonks not stopping by during the holidays?"

Harry immediately broke off from his close contact with Gabrielle.

"No, I asked her, but she'd rather wait a little longer before she meets – or remeets – you guys."

"I see," said Ginny. "Could I speak to you for a minute, Harry?"

Harry acquiesced, following Ginny to an empty room far from the rest of the family.

"I never took you for the player, Harry," she said as soon as they were alone.

"What are you talking about?"

"Anyone can see that that girl's head over heels for you and you seem more than willing to string her along."

"Gabrielle and I are just friends. We're teacher and student."

"And don't forget that," said Ginny. Sensing she was being too confrontational, she softened her tone. "Listen, Harry, I'm only saying this because I care for you like any of my idiot brothers: don't be that kind of guy."

"I'm not," said Harry resolutely, but what Ginny was saying resonated with him.

"Good," said Ginny. "I see that you care for her, so just let her down easy. If you're serious about Tonks, you have to do this."

"I know," said Harry. The Yule Ball was a wake-up call and Harry had to be truthful to himself: some part of him wanted to be with Gabrielle. He had to bury that temptation decisively in order to stay true to Tonks. "I'll talk to her before the holidays are over."

"Great," said Ginny, grabbing him by the arm. "Come on, I think there's still some eggnog left over."

X

Harry, Gabrielle, and the Weasley Family spent the next week in several smaller groups. Some enjoyed spending the day skating, building snow forts, and having snowball fights outdoors, while others cozied up beside the fireplace playing board games or reading books (a certain bushy-haired witch obviously belonged to the latter category). Others also went on trips to Muggle London or went shopping on Diagon Alley; as for Harry, he did a little bit of everything and tried to spend some time with each of his friends. However, try as he might, he couldn't find the right moment to speak to Gabrielle about their relationship, in spite of the fact that she often tagged along to whatever he was doing. At first, her relatively constant presence had made him wary, but he soon learned to let go and simply enjoy the company of the young witch.

On New Year's Eve, the whole clan was once again all gathered together, just as it had been on Christmas Day. Everyone was recounting their tales of how they spent their holidays and mourning the fact that they would soon be over.

Arthur Weasley had actually bought a TV on his trip to Muggle London and was currently in the process of setting it up.

"Eureka!" he exclaimed, when the rabbit ears finally picked up a signal. The younger kids had all been put to bed and the older ones were struggling to stay awake long enough to greet the New Year.

The Weasley family watched in relative awe as the BBC showed the festivities currently going on all along the banks of the River Thames.

"Muggles sure know how to party, huh?" said Ron, whistling in appreciation.

Everyone watched as the BBC showed all the fireworks displays that had already occurred in more Eastern Time zones such as Australia, Japan, and China.

Finally, the long-awaited moment was nearing and the scene returned to London for the countdown.

"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...Happy New Year!"

Fireworks of all colours exploded against the backdrop of the London Eye, while Big Ben tolled to signal the event. Harry saw his friends kissing their spouses and before he realized what was happening, a pair of lips had met his own. They tasted sweet and absolutely addictive and it took him a moment for him to realize that he was kissing Gabrielle. As soon as he did, he broke off the kiss.

"We need to talk," he said, his head turned away in shame because of what had happened – of what he had let happen due to his indecision. He couldn't deny that the kiss they'd shared would remain forever burned in his memory, but Harry only had to glance at his blood ring shining bright red to feel the guilt wash over him.

Harry and Gabrielle walked outdoors and sat on the bench side-by-side, watching the snow fall rather than look at one another. For Harry, it was to steady himself for what he was about to say; for Gabrielle, it was because she was still in wonder over what had just happened and was now shy about making eye contact.

"Gabby, as you know, these past four months have been a rollercoaster ride for me. If you hadn't been beside me during it all, I don't know how I would have weathered through the lows."

Gabrielle blushed prettily, lowering her gaze to hide it.

"But I have a girlfriend, who I love very much," said Harry. "I'm sorry if I misled you in any way up to this point, but I have no intentions of leaving her. Besides all the obvious reasons that we can't be together, I could never betray Tonks that way. So I'm asking you this from the bottom of my heart: please give up on me."

For several seconds, Gabrielle did not move or say a word and Harry wondered if she had heard him correctly. He was about to speak up when he saw that tears were in her eyes, wetting her long eyelashes before slowly streaming down her pink cheeks. She turned to him and finally broke the pregnant pause.

"How can you ask me to do that? Sometimes I wonder what if...what if it had been my father or mother underwater for that Second Task rather than me? What if you'd saved one of them from the Merfolk and not me? Because my entire life has centred around you from that moment on...like a million other girls, I couldn't help but idolize you growing up. I couldn't help but be eager to attend Hogwarts. I couldn't help but strive to be the best at Quidditch. So when you ask me to give up on you...maybe I would if I could. But the fates decided otherwise, so you have no right to ask that of me."

Harry took the suddenly frail girl into his arms, letting her sob into his shoulder as he observed the now familiar stars overhead.

"I'm sorry, Gabby. I've been awfully self-centred, haven't I? I guess that's why I need you in my life," he said with a sigh. "But it doesn't change what I said: I'm still devoted to Tonks."

"I understand," she said, drying her remaining tears with her sleeve. "Just tell me: is there a chance? Is it possible that we could someday end up together?"

"Of course," said Harry at once and he meant it. "But besides my relationship with Tonks, you're still my student and you're only 17."

"So those are the three things that are holding you back?"

"Well, those are the three off the top of my head, but I suppose they cover my major reservations."

"Then promise me this: I'll be 18 by the time I graduate from Hogwarts, so if we're both single at that time, you'll take me out on a date."

Harry studied the young girl in front of him, so familiar in some ways and yet so unknown in others. Harry couldn't deny he was intrigued if not mesmerized by her.

"Ugh, I look awful, don't I?" she said, trying to rearrange her hair into a ponytail.

"No, you look beautiful as always," said Harry and Gabrielle couldn't help but blush fiercely. "And I would love to take you out on that date if the stars do align."

Harry stared up once again into the night sky and Gabrielle joined him, wishing for the heavenly bodies to grant her that single wish.

X

The morning that Harry walked into the Great Hall and everyone glanced at him before speaking amongst themselves in hushes, he knew that the news must be out.

As he ate his scrambled eggs, he hazarded a glance at the Daily Prophet: on the front page was a huge blown-up picture of Tonks with the headline "Harry Potter's New Love." He groaned and didn't bother reading the numerous articles on the subject.

Not long after, Daphne walked into the room and sat beside him. It had been a long time since they'd shared a meal in each other's company and Harry found that he was glad to have her back at his side. Maybe the holidays had done him some good or maybe his resolution with Gabrielle had set his mind at ease; whatever it was, he was genuinely eager to try repairing his damaged relationship with Daphne.

"Congrats," she said. "You're no longer the Wizarding World's Most Eligible Bachelor."

"I just hope that Tonks doesn't get too much flak," he replied. He remembered the abuse that Ginny had suffered when they'd been together: women were scary creatures.

"I'm sure she can take care of herself."

"That's exactly what she said. I know she's an excellent Auror and more than capable of dealing with dangerous threats, but there's more to being in a public relationship with Harry Potter than that."

"Did you just refer to yourself in the third person? Jeez, get over yourself," said Daphne, buttering up her toast with a perfectly uniform layer of the spread.

Harry laughed, happy in the knowledge that Daphne would always keep him grounded.

"Does she have anything to worry about?" asked Daphne, trying to sound as casual as possible. "Obviously, she gave you that blood ring to show her loyalty to you."

Harry was not surprised she had deduced that and simply continued eating his breakfast.

"That pendant though...I'm guessing Gabrielle?"

Harry managed to not choke on his eggs, but his deadpan stare in her direction begged an explanation.

"Well you're not the most social guy in the world."

Harry raised an eyebrow and Daphne conceded, "Point taken. Nevertheless, I'm fairly certain the only women in your life who are close enough to you to give you jewellery are Molly, Ginny, Hermione, and, of course, Gabrielle. Is that a fair assessment?"

Harry nodded grudgingly.

"Well Molly undoubtedly gave you one of those hideous jumpers, her daughter would never give an ex something that could be misconstrued as romantic, and Hermione simply doesn't think along that wavelength...I'm guessing another book from her? So that only leaves Mademoiselle Delacour."

Harry's silence was all the answer she needed.

"You're amazing, you know that?" he said finally. Daphne fought back the blush that was threatening to creep into her cheeks. "You'd actually make a fantastic Divination Professor."

"At first I thought you were paying me a compliment," said Daphne, "but then you go and insult my intelligence."

"Be nice, Sybill's made some pretty incredible predictions."

"Fine," she said, biting back her retort. Besides, she couldn't forget her real purpose. "So you and Gabrielle, huh? I knew –"

"We're just friends," said Harry with finality.

"So you say, but –"

"Daphne, stop. I won't say it again."

Harry was obviously unwilling to say more on the subject and Daphne let it be. All she thought to herself was: one down, one to go.

X

"Are you sure you're alright?" asked Harry.

"I'm fine, Harry," said Tonks. "Like I said, I can take care of myself."

"You can't fault me for worrying when you receive multiple death threats."

"Come on, you know as well as I do that they're empty threats. Besides, even if some crazy witch did attack me, I'm sure I could handle her."

"I know, I just wish I were still part of the Auror department so I could keep a closer eye on the situation."

"Enough, Harry," said Tonks seriously. "Look at me. We fought side-by-side in the war. I've faced far greater dangers than threats from random infatuated witches. I knew what I was getting into by dating you and I've accepted it."

Harry's mouth was still set in a grim line, but he nodded imperceptibly.

Tonks took his hands in her own.

"Harry...I already lost Remus...I'm not going to lose the love of my life again – certainly not because of something as silly as this."

"I understand," said Harry, kissing his girlfriend on the forehead. "I'll get over it and we'll make this thing work."

"Good!" she said, kissing Harry lightly on the lips. "Come on, let's give the public what they want."

With a heavy sigh, Harry grasped Tonks' hand firmly in his own and in a moment, they were in Diagon Alley. A moment later, the throng of people around them stopped and stared, some of them inconspicuously taking photos while others made no effort to conceal the fact they were photographing England's hottest new couple.

"Let's go," said Tonks, willing them forward to their destination at the Leaky Cauldron. The two of them had decided to make a public appearance when the press continued writing about them even a week after their announcement. At first, they had planned to keep a low profile and try to weather the storm, but it was showing no signs of dying down and at this point, the rumours were starting to take a life of their own. Hence, Harry and Tonks wanted to put an end to all the speculation and show that they were well and truly a couple.

However, some people had even followed them to the pub and the continual staring was making them both uneasy. Harry and Tonks were thus immensely glad to see a familiar face in Tom the landlord; his comfortable manner around them restored a bit of normalcy to their outing. After they'd ordered, Tonks spoke for the first time in several minutes.

"Was it like this with Ginny?" she asked as she sat on the edge of her seat.

"Not quite on this level," said Harry, "but I'm sure they'll gradually lose interest."

"Yeah, we're far too boring to write about," said Tonks with a laugh.

Indeed, by the time their meals had arrived, the patrons' scrutiny had already abated somewhat. Just as the two of them were finally feeling comfortable in their own skin and enjoying the atmosphere of the Leaky Cauldron, someone slid into their booth beside Harry.

"Hi, I hope you don't mind – I just wanted to introduce myself."

Harry had recognized the voice immediately even without turning his head and he stiffened in his seat.

"I'm Daphne Greengrass, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

* * *

><p><em>Hello my lovely readers! I got a bunch of reviews for the last chapter regarding the poll: as I've said since the beginning, the poll will influence storylines, and it has (Daphne has been written about more than any of the other female leads). That said, I never indicated that the poll would determine the final pairing of this story - you'll just have to wait and see whether or not that ends up being the case.<em>


	13. Run No More

Daphne had only meant to make a quick trip to Diagon Alley, picking up a few quills and bottles of ink. At first, she'd paid no heed to the hubbub that had suddenly exploded out in the streets, instead continuing to focus on her shopping. However, when she left the store and the crowd was still fixated on whatever it was that had first drawn their attention, Daphne finally decided to investigate.

She made her way through the throng of people swarming the streets, and in the process, overheard all she needed to know: Harry Potter had apparently brought his "new" girlfriend to Diagon Alley. _Interesting_, she thought to herself. As she advanced through the crowd, she quickly formulated her plan of action; by the time she reached for the door to the Leaky Cauldron, Daphne Greengrass was well and truly ready – the poor couple would not know what hit them.

X

"Hi, I hope you don't mind – I just wanted to introduce myself."

Tonks looked towards the source of the voice, which had been regal and melodic.

"I'm Daphne Greengrass, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

The woman in front of her was like a human doll: unblemished alabaster skin, straight black hair, and perfectly proportioned features gave her an almost flawless beauty. However, one look into Daphne's icy blue eyes immediately dispelled the illusion of a doll – those eyes held obvious depth and intelligence.

"Likewise," said Tonks. "I'm Tonks, though I'm guessing you already knew that."

"Yes, I believe the entire Wizarding World knows who you are at this point."

Tonks blushed. At the same time, she saw that Daphne had seated herself beside Harry and, without her noticing it, was now almost pressed against him. Harry was visibly squirming, trying to maintain as much distance between him and Daphne as possible but failing due to the constraints of the booth.

"Harry, you're being awfully quiet," said Daphne. "Oh! Are you not wearing your pendant anymore?"

"Daphne…," said Harry insistently, shooting her a glare.

"I thought you liked it. You know, it would hurt –"

"Daphne! Please!" yelled Harry, attracting curious glances from the nearby patrons.

"Am I missing something?" asked Tonks, feeling suddenly uncomfortable with the situation.

"No," said Daphne with a smile. "Just something between Harry and I, right Harry?"

Harry did not answer, but began slowly clenching his fists into tighter and tighter balls; as a result, Daphne managed to move closer beside him without him realizing it. On the other hand, it did not go unnoticed by Tonks.

"Anyway," continued Daphne, "as I said, I don't want to keep you."

Harry seemed to exhale in relief.

"I guess I'll see you at the same time and place tomorrow morning then, Harry?" said Daphne under her breath, but just loudly enough for Tonks to hear.

Before he could respond, she leaned into him, grasping him in a tight hug.

One second passed. Then two. Then three. Daphne still had not let go. Finally, just as Harry was about to push her off him, she broke off the embrace and began sliding out of the booth. Before she could complete the action, however, Tonks grabbed Harry's head and kissed him fiercely. She did not know how long they spent joined like that, but the crowd's whistles eventually made Harry pull back in a daze. Daphne was nowhere in sight.

"Okay, I don't know what that was for, but I'm not complaining," said Harry immediately. "Also, about what Daphne whispered – Tonks, I can explain. All she meant was breakfast. We eat our meals together, that's it. As for the pendant –"

"It's okay Harry, I believe you."

"She's just playing games with us," said Harry, the words spilling out of him. "She likes to –"

"Harry, stop. I said I believe you."

"Wait – what?"

"I meant it when I said I trusted you. Don't think I don't know how manipulative Daphne can be – I haven't forgotten the letter and Pensieve memory she sent me. I know she wants you for herself, just like Gabrielle, but she's got another thing coming if she thinks that I'm going to just roll over."

"Huh? Daphne doesn't like me," said Harry, though the tone of his voice betrayed his uncertainty – truth be told, Daphne's innermost feelings were a complete mystery to him. In spite of the fact that he had now been friends with her for close to half a year and chipped away a great deal of her outer shell, he knew next to nothing about Daphne's deep desires, thoughts, or dreams.

"Oh, Harry…you're so sweet and innocent. You're making me feel like an older woman teaching you the ways of the world."

"Come on," said Harry, thoroughly embarrassed. "I'm not that bad."

"Need I remind you of our first date or lack thereof?"

"Hey! I don't remember you making any special effort for that either."

"A lady expects to be courted, not the other way around."

"Right, 'a lady'."

He'd expected the punch and Tonks didn't fail to deliver – it stung nonetheless.

The rest of their little outing was spent in relative peace, but Harry couldn't help but mull over what Tonks had said: Daphne…liked him?

X

Once again, Daphne's tear ducts proved treacherous. Thankfully, they only betrayed her once she'd returned to the safety of her own chambers and not while she was in public for all to witness. Exhibiting any kind of weakness would be an ugly mark against the Greengrass household, and one as silly and juvenile as lovesickness would be downright shameful.

Ugh, even thinking about it made her hate herself for loving that messy-haired, emerald-eyed bastard. What had happened to Daphne Greengrass, Ice Queen and esteemed Potions Master? Now, she was a runny-nosed witch with running mascara, trying to stop herself from crying over a clueless, inexperienced, kindhearted, brave, charming –

Stop it! For the briefest of moments, she wished she'd never met the blasted wizard and had simply been married off by her parents. But those thoughts were quickly quashed: as much as she didn't care to admit it, Harry was truly one-of-a-kind, and not for the reasons that many people associated with him. No, Harry was special because he made everyone around him strive to be better people, and Daphne was no exception.

As she started thinking about him again in that light, a wistful look came across her face. How was she ever going to declare her love to him? He was never going to confess his love to her, not with Tonks –

Once more, the tears came, unbidden, to her eyes. She had no idea how she'd held herself together back at the Leaky Cauldron. When Harry and Tonks had kissed, it was like she'd been punched in the gut, completely knocking the wind out of her. At the same time, her heart felt like it had been stabbed with a knife, and the longer the kiss went on, the more its blade twisted, bringing the pain to new heights and prolonging the anguish.

It was actually a small blessing that Harry and Tonks' kiss had gone on as long as it had, as Daphne had remained immobile for the first couple of seconds of it, unable to look away like a deer in headlights. After what seemed like an eternity, her brain finally unfroze, giving her legs the signal to take her away as quickly as possible from the scene causing her such pain and heartbreak. Tonks had gotten her good, but Daphne knew now not to underestimate the witch in the future. The Metamorphmagus may have won this battle, but Daphne would win the war.

Daphne determinedly wiped away her fresh tears. She had to get out of the confines of her room and go somewhere…anywhere. So, she began wandering aimlessly down the halls of Hogwarts, going wherever her legs would take her.

At first, she passed by various students and gave them customary nods without registering who she was greeting. However, she eventually found herself in a deserted part of the castle. As she weaved her way deeper and deeper into the normally untraveled parts of Hogwarts, she kept her mind off Harry and Tonks by memorizing her path so that she could later find her way back.

Finally, she reached a junction and realized that something was off: an invisible force was beckoning her to go down one hallway rather than another. It was very subtle, and given that anyone who was walking in these isolated hallways likely didn't have a specific destination in mind, it only took a gentle nudge to push a person to go in one direction rather than another.

Daphne overcame the repelling charm and explored the mysterious hallway, her Slytherin curiosity getting the better of her. She took out her wand and quickly cast diagnostic spells all around her: she may have been Potions Master, but she had also excelled in numerous other subjects as a student, Charms included.

_Interesting_, she thought to herself, analyzing the spider web of charms that had revealed itself. She didn't recognize several of the spells, but those she did didn't appear to cause bodily harm if triggered – she thus assumed that whoever had set everything up hadn't wanted an adventurous student to accidentally trip the Charms and hurt him or herself.

There were a dozen identical doors along this hallway, six on each side. The charms surrounding each one were different, but Daphne's instinct told her that there was a pattern. She briefly considered just turning back and returning to her room – some of the Memory charms seemed particularly nasty – but every fiber of her being was begging her to solve the mystery.

She put herself into the mind of whoever had set this puzzle up and came to two conclusions: one, the wizard or witch had probably been a professor at Hogwarts, as the charms were far too complex for a teenager and they also did not wish to harm any students; and two, something valuable was hidden here to warrant such extensive defense.

Unfortunately, the more that Daphne studied the charms, the more she got lost in its web. She knew she would have only one chance at this – opening a wrong door would undoubtedly wipe her memory of this entire hallway.

Frustrated that the puzzle was getting the best of her, she briefly considered taking her chances and hoping she got lucky.

Then, she had an epiphany: whoever had gone to such effort to protect whatever it was would not be happy even with eleven out of twelve odds.

Hence, Daphne walked straight down the hallway, fighting against the pull of each door and reaching the other end of the corridor, where it ended in a cul-de-sac. She once again performed diagnostic spells to detect any additional spells, but found none. She still wasn't completely convinced there weren't more traps awaiting her, but she had made it too far to back down without at least testing her theory: she reached her hand forward…and it passed right through the wall. After taking a deep breath, she pushed her whole body through the wall.

What she found there caused Daphne Greengrass to smile in triumph.

X

Gabrielle Delacour carefully applied her make-up, enjoying the manual task over the use of charms. Doing it in the former manner gave a more personal touch and a perfect imperfection that could never quite be mimicked by magic. After putting on the finishing touches, she eagerly grabbed her broom and made her way to the Quidditch pitch.

Harry was already up in the air when she got there, and she quickly joined him. They spent the next half hour practicing, unable to really talk due to the strong winds.

"Is something bothering you?" asked Gabrielle after they both landed. She noticed he'd been distracted this morning.

"It's Daphne, or Professor Greengrass to you, I suppose."

"What happened?" said Gabrielle, fearing that the witch had somehow gotten her claws into Harry without her knowing.

"She's been acting odd these past few days…distant, like she's in another world."

"I know what you mean," said Gabrielle. She had noticed that her Potions Master had been uncharacteristically distracted during their last class. "What do you think is the matter?"

"I really don't know. I tried asking her, but she just closed up immediately. I'm really starting to worry about her."

Gabrielle felt a pang of jealousy, but pushed it back down. She had promised to be nothing more than a friend to Harry until her graduation, and she planned to keep that promise.

"Why don't we follow her?" asked Gabrielle.

"What?!" exclaimed Harry.

"If you really think it's something serious, maybe she's past the point of asking for help herself, in which case we need to be proactive in aiding her."

Harry thought it over for a few seconds before finally nodding.

"We can track her using my Marauder's Map."

"Of course!" Gabrielle had forgotten about Harry's inherited treasure and was eager to see the legendary item in action. "If she's doing anything out of the ordinary, it's probably after classes are over, so how about we meet up again after dinner?"

"Sounds good, see you then."

X

Daphne exited the Great Hall after having rapidly finished her dinner. She quickened her pace as she neared the secret hallway, making sure that no one was following her. She had briefly considered taking the item out of the room, but she since she had no intention of selling it, there was probably no safer place to keep it than where it already was.

She opened the door and smiled in relief when she saw that the item was still there.

X

"Where did she go?" said Gabrielle.

"Some places don't show up on the map, like the Chamber of Secrets and the Room of Requirement. She must have entered another one of Hogwarts' secret rooms or passageways."

Harry and Gabrielle were still at the Great Hall, as Gabrielle had joined Harry at the staff table under the guise of asking him for help with her Defense homework. As soon as they saw Daphne rushing off, they had had no choice but to improvise.

"Should we go to the spot where she disappeared?" asked Gabrielle.

Before Harry could respond, Hagrid came up to him and whispered something in his ear. However, the half-giant's whisper was the same volume as a human's normal speaking voice and the Veela easily overheard him.

"I really should'un be tellin' yeh this, 'Arry, but Tonks is at St. Mungo's. I thought yeh deserved ta know."

Harry's face was a whirlwind of emotions, going through disbelief, worry, anger, and a handful of other feelings.

"What happened?" he asked after a long pause.

"I don't know, 'Arry. Sorry I can't be of more 'elp."

"No, Hagrid, you've done more than enough. Thank you for telling me this – I really appreciate it."

The half-giant smiled, clapping Harry on the back before lumbering off to his seat.

"I have to go," said Harry.

Gabrielle nodded, watching as Harry stared at his map without really seeing it.

"Harry?" said Gabrielle. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head as both a response and to clear his mind. "Here, take my map – keep an eye on Daphne, but don't follow her by yourself. Once I get back, we'll go together, alright?"

"Yes, now go! Tonks is waiting."

Harry did not have to be told twice, handing off his map with little regard to its value and rushing off to his girlfriend.

X

"Where is she?!"

Tonks heard the voice coming from down the hallway and groaned.

"I was Head Auror, I demand to be allowed in!"

"Just let him in, Selma!" yelled Tonks. Refusing the Hero of the Light's request was probably making the poor old witch as anguished as a House Elf disobeying her master.

Harry immediately burst through the door and was by her side in an instant.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" he said.

"It's nothing, so I didn't want you to worry."

With surprisingly gentle movements, Harry's hands examined Tonks' body searching for the injury. For the moment, he stayed silent as he tried to reign in his anger.

"It's on my lower back, but you're welcome to keep your hands all over me."

Harry blushed but did not withdraw his hands, instead lifting up Tonks' shirt to reveal the large, blue and purple bruise.

"The healer said it should fade in a couple of days. However, he wants to run a few more tests to make sure that none of my internal organs were damaged."

"Damn it! It's my fault; I should have taken those threats more seriously. I should have used my authority to –"

"Stop, Harry," she said, cutting him off. "I I thought we were past the point of you blaming yourself for everything bad that happens in the world."

Harry sighed.

"I've been an Auror twice as long as you have," she continued. "I know the risks of the job and I've accepted them a long time ago. If this had happened on a standard mission – and it has – would you be having this same reaction?"

He begrudgingly shook his head.

"How did it happen?" he said finally.

"I was patrolling with Jenkins as usual when, out of nowhere, I felt something hit me in the back."

"The coward," said Harry with undisguised malice.

"The witch was pretty pathetic, really, as she couldn't get another spell to connect while I was lying more or less immobile on the ground. Anyway, Jenkins quickly cleaned up the situation and the witch is now in custody."

"I'll make sure she gets put away for a long time," said Harry firmly.

"No, Harry, she's a lunatic, she needs mental help not the Dementors' help. Besides, I want you to stay with me for the next few days."

Harry grabbed his girlfriend's hands in his own and listened attentively as he patiently awaited whatever else Tonks wanted to say.

"The physical pain doesn't bother me," said Tonks. "Like I said, it's happened before and it'll happen again. But being apart from you for at least five days a week…I can't help but feel like we're growing apart. So let's take this as a blessing in disguise and consider it a mini-vacation together, alright my love?"

Harry watched Tonks as she faked a smile to cover up the emotional insecurity and weakness she constantly tried to keep at bay. So vulnerable at heart in spite of her hard exterior and bright, joking, selfless attitude…and he loved her for it.

"Of course, Tonks. Of course I'll stay with you. Whatever you want, my love."

X

Gabrielle had returned to her room after Harry's impromptu departure, periodically glancing at the map to check on Daphne. It was only after a few hours that Daphne's dot finally reappeared – at the same place that it had originally vanished – and Gabrielle watched as her professor walked at a leisurely pace back to her chambers.

The next day, Headmistress McGonagall announced that Harry would be taking a leave of absence of a few days. That evening, Gabrielle once again monitored the Marauders' Map: Daphne went to her secret room right after dinner and did not return to her chambers until close to midnight.

Not only was Daphne spending more and more time in that mysterious place, but she had become almost entirely detached during Potions classes. Gabrielle shook her head, mentally begging Harry to hurry back and help her out with the worrisome situation.

X

Daphne walked briskly down the hallways, fighting the urge to simply break out into a run to reach her destination faster. Getting to her secret room as quickly as possible was all she had in mind. As she passed by the dozen doors along the last hallway, their pull was practically non-existent now, so much greater was the attraction of her hidden treasure.

She breathed a happy sigh of relief when she saw that it was still there: the legendary Mirror of Erised.

No one had known of its whereabouts after the events in her First Year with the mysterious Third Floor corridor, and most had assumed that it would never be found again after Albus Dumbledore's death. Daphne had proved them wrong and was now in sole possession of the incredible artifact.

Daphne took a deep breath. And then she looked into the Mirror:

_A little girl with curly black hair and light blue eyes smiled back at her. Harry and Daphne walked hand-in-hand with their daughter in between them, swinging her by the arms to her heart's content. After a brief time, the little girl tore away from her parents to go chase after seagulls on the beach. _

_Harry circled his arm around Daphne's waist, and she rested her head comfortably in the crook of his shoulder. They watched the sunset as the ocean's gentle breeze swept over them, and Daphne tilted her head to look up at Harry. She found him already looking at her like no man ever had, his gaze filled with unrestrained and undying love. Without thinking, she moved her head to bring her lips closer towards his, his movement matching her own. Their lips were just a hair's breadth apart, about to meet with a passion that was at once both familiar yet excitingly new…_

…and the image dissipated, leaving Daphne staring with lips parted at a cloth-covered Mirror of Erised.

"I thought you were stronger than that, Professor Greengrass," said the French girl in front of her.

_Give me my dream back…_No!

"You think you could resist its temptation?" she responded heatedly, redirecting her anger.

"How do you think I covered it up? I had to have seen it first."

"But how?" said Daphne, shocked. "What did you see?"

"The same thing you saw, I'd imagine. But I know where I stand in regards to Harry. I know that a relationship with him could one day be a reality. That's why I had the strength to push away the fantasy."

"I'm weak, aren't I?" said Daphne quietly, the anger suddenly leaving her. "Weak and afraid…"

"You're not," said Gabrielle firmly. "Look at me Professor – no, Daphne."

Daphne did so calmly, trying to re-establish a cool and composed exterior in spite of the emotional turmoil she was currently going through.

"I consider you my strongest rival for Harry's affections, even greater than his current **girlfriend**. You're likely the most intelligent person I know and you challenge Harry in ways no one else can. If you think you're not good enough for him, then what does that mean for me or Tonks?"

Who was this girl – no, this woman? She looked every bit like a 17-year-old, and yet she had a wisdom and maturity of someone twice her age. She understood now how Gabrielle Delacour had been able to capture a piece of Harry's heart.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I want a fair fight. When I end up marrying Harry, I want to know he chose me because I'm the best wife for him without a shadow of a doubt."

Daphne shook her head in bewilderment at the younger girl – if she was being truthful to herself, she didn't think she would have done her rival the same favor had their positions been reversed.

"Come on, let's get out of here," said Gabrielle. "Harry has enough to worry about, so let's not add anything else to the list."

"What about the Mirror?"

Gabrielle narrowed her eyes.

"Please," said Daphne, rolling her eyes. "I just think it would be a waste to see such an incredible item rot away in a secret room of Hogwarts, perhaps not to be discovered for centuries. Why don't we hand it over to Headmistress McGonagall?"

The French girl contemplated it for a minute, then nodded.

"Alright, but we're taking it to her together."

Daphne displayed no outward reaction, but she was inwardly very relieved that she would not have to fight the Mirror's temptation on her own.

She hated being weak, being afraid.

She would change that.

X

"For Tonks," said Daphne, laying a box of chocolates on the table beside Harry.

"Who should I say it's from?"

"Me."

"I'm not sure she'll accept them, then."

"She will."

Harry slipped the box into the inside pocket of his robe, not pushing the issue any further.

"So…what was it that kept you busy this past week?" asked Harry, trying and failing to act nonchalant. "I hadn't noticed you around much during that time."

It seemed Gabrielle had stayed mum on the subject.

"Why don't you ask your favorite student?" teased Daphne.

Harry blushed, dropping the subject as he knew he would not get anything out of Daphne that she didn't want to share.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're alright," he said with surprising emotion.

This was the moment. She knew it.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

* * *

><p><em>Not much to report, though the next chapter might be slightly delayed. Thanks for continuing to follow this story!<em>


	14. Something Drastic

"I love you," said Daphne.

Harry looked at her seriously before replying.

"I know."

"You do?" replied Daphne, incredulous.

"Haven't you watched Star Wars? I mean, it's a Muggle film, but it's one of their most popular ones."

"So you were telling a joke?"

"Yeah, I mean, weren't you?"

Everything grew deathly still, and Harry felt a chill run up his spine as Daphne's piercing blue eyes seemed to stare straight into his soul.

"You absolute bastard."

Harry could only watch, dumbfounded, as Daphne stormed out of the Great Hall. When he glanced at Gabrielle to silently ask her what had just happened, the young Veela simply shook her head at him before also leaving the dining hall.

_Wait, it couldn't be –_

Harry rushed out to catch up with the two witches.

X

The scene was so unimaginable, Harry would not have believed it had he not been witnessing it with his own two eyes: the former Ice Queen of Slytherin sobbing in the arms of her half-Veela student.

"You weren't kidding, were you?" asked Harry rhetorically.

Daphne released the embrace and looked at Gabrielle.

"Could you give us a moment alone?" requested the Potions Master.

"Are you sure?"

Daphne nodded and Gabrielle dutifully obeyed without further protest.

Harry took the spot that Gabrielle had vacated.

"How was I supposed to know?" he asked, at a sudden loss for words.

"You didn't feel anything when we kissed?"

Harry thought back to their "date." It felt like ages ago, though it had really been only a few months. He couldn't deny that he'd felt a spark when their lips had touched that night, nor could he say that he didn't find Daphne extremely attractive. Her looks did not demand attention like a Veela's, but they made her seem almost untouchable lest one should blemish that beauty.

"I have a girlfriend," said Harry, dodging the question.

"Oh, you don't say? I guess that settles it then, sorry for taking up your time. I'll just go stuff down my emotions like I've done my entire life," replied Daphne, the isolated teardrops running down her cheeks belying her words.

"You know that's not what I want," said Harry hurriedly. He hated seeing any woman cry, but watching someone as strong and independent as Daphne shed tears made his heart wrench in pain. "I've gotten to know you over the past half a year, Daphne. The real you. Or at least the truest version of yourself I've seen you show anyone. And I like her, I like her a lot. She's smart, funny, down-to-earth, and so much more...she deserves to be cherished for who she really is."

"Just not by you," said Daphne dully, seemingly withdrawing into her shell already.

"What do you want me to say, Daphne?" said Harry, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. "That I'll dump my girlfriend for you?"

"That's not what I expect."

"What is it then?"

Daphne went quiet for a moment, her demeanour morphing back to cool composure as the gears of her mind went into motion.

"Gabrielle told me that the three things holding you back from dating her were your relationship with Tonks, the fact that you're her teacher, and her age. The latter two issues don't apply to me, so what else is stopping you from dating me?"

"I hardly even know you, Daphne! Sure, you've opened up somewhat and your personality has begun to shine through, but I had no idea you felt that way about me until today. For that matter, I don't even know when you started having those feelings because you keep everything so close to your chest."

"So it's just your girlfriend and the fact I hide my emotions from you?"

"I suppose, but why are you asking me this? I think I've told you this before, but you could have any man you want – why are you wasting your time and effort on someone who's already happily attached?"

"Because I don't want just any man," she said with a smile, standing up and dusting off her robes carefully. "You should be honoured, Harry."

"Why are you suddenly in such a chipper mood?" said Harry, baffled.

"I'm already ahead of one of my rivals," she said, inclining her head in the direction of Gabrielle, who was waiting patiently at the end of the hallway, "and she's none the wiser."

"So you're not giving up?" said Harry, not knowing what to think or feel about this new development in his relationship with Daphne.

"Of course not. I have my family's motto to uphold."

"Huh?"

"You should look it up."

With that, Daphne Greengrass strode away from him to converse in low tones with Gabrielle.

_Women,_ he thought to himself. _I'll never understand them._

X

"You were right."

"Of course I was," said Tonks, waiting a few seconds before continuing. "About what?"

"Daphne likes me."

"Oh, that. Well, duhhh. I'm guessing she came out and told you point blank?"

"Yeah...but now she's acting oddly."

"What do you mean?"

"Well she's always telling me how her day is going and how she's feeling."

"And that's weird?" said Tonks with a giggle.

"It is for her. She's making a real effort to share stuff about herself and it's...endearing."

Harry was gazing off into the distance and as a result, he didn't spot the look of worry that came across Tonks' face.

X

"Sorry, Tonks, I won't be able to make it this weekend," said Harry.

"Why not?" replied his girlfriend, trying to not let her disappointment show. "We couldn't meet last week either because you had to help Daphne with her Potions prep work."

In fact, ever since Tonks' scare, the two of them had not been meeting very regularly. Part of it was due to the fact that both were busy with work, but another part was the difficulty in actually meeting: Harry had to get off the Hogwarts premises in order to Apparate, after which he had to go through various checkpoints at the Auror offices in order to make use of one of the only Floos that had authorized access to Tonks' home. The whole process was lengthy and tedious, which made meeting on weekday nights unrealistic. Consequently, they hadn't spent much time together at all over the past few months.

"I know, I know...but it's Hogsmeade this weekend and I couldn't get out of it because it's my turn to supervise."

"I understand," said Tonks, reigning in her emotions in order to appear unaffected.

"Next week, Tonks," said Harry, giving the Metamorphmagus an affectionate peck on the forehead. "I promise."

"Alright," she said with as much cheer as she could muster.

X

Tonks felt like a little girl playing a game on the playground as she snuck around Hogsmeade in search of her boyfriend.

She got a few weird looks from the various people passing by, but a quick transformation of her face's features into those of a goblin quickly scared off the nosiest annoyances.

Of course, she could have simply cast an Invisibility Charm, but where was the fun in that?

Tonks gleefully hid behind a barrel, happy with her decision to surprise Harry this weekend: if he couldn't meet her, she would simply go meet him.

However, after systematically checking through all the streets of the little town, Harry was still nowhere to be seen.

_He couldn't have lied, could he?_ thought Tonks, doubt and jealousy creeping into her.

_No! _

She shook her head, annoyed with herself for continuing to have these thoughts and feelings.

_He must be stationed near the castle_, she reasoned.

However, as she turned to head in that direction, that's when she spotted him: he had in fact been in Hogsmeade, but he had been indoors, not out – he was visible through the front window of the Three Broomsticks.

Along with Gabrielle and a few other students.

Laughing while sharing a butterbeer.

Eyes fixed on the Veela.

Tonks Disapparated.

X

"Stop making excuses, Tonks!" yelled Harry. "Tell me what's wrong!"

"There's nothing wrong Harry, I just can't make it this weekend because of work," she replied emotionlessly.

"You wouldn't fool a troll with those words, so you're certainly not fooling me," said Harry. "I let it slide the past couple of weeks since you did the same for me, but it's gone on for too long now."

Tonks did not break eye contact with Harry, but didn't answer him either.

"Talk to me, Tonks," pleaded Harry.

"Harry, when's the last time you looked at your blood ring?" said Tonks, sorrow colouring her voice.

"Huh?"

Harry looked down at his ring finger and was astonished to see that Tonks' gift was not glowing crimson red any more, but rather a coral pink.

"I'm so sorry, Tonks. I've been so busy with work, I didn't even realize," babbled Harry. "Let me –"

"That's exactly it, my love," interrupted Tonks sadly. "You spend so much time at Hogwarts, it's no wonder that others would hold your attention more than me."

"Don't say that," said Harry. "I love you, Tonks."

"But you also love Daphne. And Gabrielle. You want to know why I was acting so distant these past few weeks?" she asked, not pausing long enough for Harry to give an answer. "Silly old me thought that I'd surprise you at Hogsmeade...little did I know, it was me who would be in for the surprise."

Harry raised an eyebrow, not understanding. Suddenly, it clicked and Harry could only shake his head in disbelief at the incredibly unfortunate timing.

"...it was just a butterbeer. But that's not important: Gabrielle's graduating this semester anyway."

"Sure, Gabrielle may be graduating and leaving Hogwarts, but who's to say there won't be new students who fall in love with their Defense Professor? Not to mention Daphne is continuing as Potions Master, I imagine."

"What are you saying, Tonks? That you want me to leave Hogwarts?" he said, grabbing her hands firmly.

She rapidly shook her head back and forth in response.

"You're far more important to me than you seem willing to accept," said Harry with sincerity, "so if that's what it takes to keep this relationship alive, then that's what I'll do."

Tonks finally let the facade fall, sobbing.

"No, Harry, I would never ask that of you! You belong at Hogwarts and I wouldn't dream of taking that away from you."

"Then what do you want me to do, Tonks?" said Harry, capturing his girlfriend in a comforting embrace. She enjoyed the warmth and was reminded of how much she craved his touch.

"Listen, the school term's nearly over – we'll have plenty of time to spend together just the two of us during the summer," said Harry, rubbing circles in her back. "I heard the Seychelles –"

Tonks pushed him back forcefully, trembling as she struggled to utter her next words.

"That's not going to solve our problem," she said with a quaver in her voice, "and I can't keep going on like this."

Harry stood frozen in place, panic paralyzing his vocal cords.

"We need some time apart for both of us to think," Tonks continued more steadily. "I'm going off on a mission for a few weeks – we should both re-evaluate our relationship during that time."

"Don't do this, Tonks," said Harry. "Please."

"This isn't working," she replied plainly.

"Then we'll make it work," said Harry fervently. "I know we will."

"I hope so, my love. I sincerely do."

X

"I really don't know if I should be talking to you about this, but I had no one else to turn to," said Harry.

"Did we not make it clear that we are friends?" asked Gabrielle.

Harry nodded.

"And have we not already shared deeply personal thoughts and feelings with one another?"

He repeated the gesture.

"Then what are you hesitating for? You know I'll do all that I can to help you, Harry."

So, Harry told her all that had happened.

"Do you want me to clear everything up with Tonks?" she said as soon as he'd finished.

"I appreciate the offer," said Harry, "but I don't think that would help – if anything, it might fan the flames even more."

"You're right," said Gabrielle, biting her lower lip; to his shame, the action immediately caught Harry's attention even as he tried to remain focused on the situation with Tonks.

"Any other ideas, then?" he asked.

"I'm not sure there's anything that you can do – and I'm not saying that due to a conflict of interest. If I were in Tonks' shoes, I would have probably done the same thing."

"So it's a hopeless situation and Tonks is just delaying the inevitable?"

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I think so."

X

"To what do I owe the honour?" asked Daphne, after opening her door to reveal the one and only Harry Potter.

"I need your help," he said plainly.

The Slytherin cocked her head to one side.

"Gabrielle couldn't help you, huh?"

Harry was briefly taken aback, but bewilderment was the default state of mind whenever in the presence of Daphne Greengrass, so he quickly shook off his stupor.

"...no," he replied honestly.

She smiled contentedly, her silence encouraging him to continue speaking.

"Daphne...I'm losing Tonks."

The witch did not visibly seem to react, but Harry was getting better at reading her expressions.

"You're loving this, aren't you?"

"Of course," she said bluntly.

"You know, you could at least pretend to feel sorry."

"And why would I do that?" said Daphne. "You told me to be open with you – this is one of the few perks of that."

Harry sighed.

"I don't know why I even bothered coming to see you," he said. "I guess I'm just that desperate."

"Nonsense," said Daphne. "Come, sit."

With reluctance, Harry did so, reacquainting himself with Daphne's regal bedchambers. He sat down in a leather recliner, while Daphne lay across her bed as if posing for a portrait.

"Could you please not do that?" said Harry moodily.

"But I like it when you look at me, Harry. You make me feel –"

"Daphne! Please be serious!"

"Fine," she said, repositioning herself so that she was now sitting demurely on the edge of her bed.

"Thank you," said Harry.

They shared an awkward silence for a moment, unsure of what to say or do next.

"So... are you and Tonks breaking up?" said Daphne finally, cutting straight to the chase.

"Not if I can help it," said Harry with determination.

"While your gallantry is admirable, a relationship unfortunately requires two parties to be in accord," she said sardonically.

"So how do I convince Tonks to stay with me?" said Harry, ignoring Daphne's quip.

The former Ice Queen of Slytherin rested her chin on one hand, seemingly deep in thought.

"Do you know about the Kobayashi Maru?" she said finally.

"I don't think so, what is it?"

"Ha!" Daphne yelled in victory. "You made fun of me for not knowing that Star Wars quote, and yet you don't even know about possibly the most famous story in Star Trek!"

"Alright, I'm sorry," said Harry, not sounding the least bit apologetic. "What does the Kurabashi Maru mean?"

"The _Kobayashi_ Maru is an unwinnable situation," said Daphne, deciding not to rub it in this time.

"I thought so..." said Harry with a sigh, "that's basically what Gabrielle said."

"As much as I hate to admit it, she's right. The best you can hope for now is to end the situation on your own terms."

"My terms?"

"Sometimes it's better to do something drastic, like cutting off a cancerous limb yourself rather than letting it infect the rest of your body and rooting itself even further."

Daphne expected an admonishment and was thus surprised when one did not come. Instead, Harry's face lit up and his mind seemed to be racing at a million miles a minute.

"Thank you so much, Daphne," said an ecstatic Harry, hugging his fellow professor tightly without a care in the world. "You've given me a great idea."

"I...have?" replied Daphne, utterly baffled for one of the first times in her life.

"Captain Kirk beat the unwinnable situation, and so can I."

With that, Harry left Daphne's room in a hurry.

Daphne cursed – she would have to study some more Muggle culture.

X

"_Do you ever wonder about the point of it all?" asked Harry._

"_You know, dear," said Tonks sweetly, "you can be a blasted idiot sometimes."_

_Harry ignored her remark, his next words drifting out of him dripping with pain._

"_I did everything I could...and yet, in spite of that, those parents lost their only son."_

"_Stop blaming yourself, Harry!" screamed Tonks, momentarily snapping Harry out of his gloom. "You can't save everyone and you need to accept that!"_

"_But I'm Head Auror – if I don't take responsibility, who will?"_

"_No one," she replied immediately._

_Harry opened his mouth to speak, but his girlfriend continued before he could interject._

"_Why must there be someone who shoulders the blame for everything wrong that happens in the world? Instead of dwelling in the past, you need to live in the present and look to the future."_

"_And how do I do that?" asked Harry doubtfully._

"_By sharing the burden of everyone affected rather than allowing a weight that needs no carrying crush you alone," said Tonks. "Comfort the parents. Talk with the other Aurors. Listen to the witnesses. That's the best thing you could do and all that everyone expects out of their Head Auror: a strong, steadfast figure they can lean on in their times of need."_

_Harry shook his head in wonder at this kind, beautiful, selfless woman._

"_What would I do without you, Tonks?"_

"_You'd be a miserable twat, just like you are when you're with me."_

_Harry burst out into laughter._

"_But I can share in your misery and we can wallow in it together for as long as it takes to get you out of there," finished Tonks._

_She held out her hand and he grabbed onto it like a lifeline. A second later, they wordlessly released their grip on one another, both of them re-invigorated and ready to step out into the spotlight to answer the press' questions._

X

Harry and Tonks sat at a table at a small restaurant in Diagon Alley, sharing their customary post-mission lunch together in relative privacy – a small blessing.

"So how did the mission go?" asked Harry.

"It was a dead end!" replied Tonks, trying to sound as normal as possible. "We were investigating half a dozen disappearances of mercenaries in the Netherlands, but none of the leads got us anywhere."

"That's odd..." mused Harry.

"Actually, dear, that's even. But yeah, whoever's responsible for this really covered their tracks well, assuming, of course, that all these cases are related."

"They probably are. If there's one thing I learned as an Auror, it's to not believe in coincidence until given proof of the contrary."

"I agree, but we just couldn't piece it all together, so we eventually had to drop the case and move on."

"That's too bad," said Harry. "So what are you assigned to now?"

Tonks took a moment to observe Harry: she had expected him to stall, but for some reason he was acting nervous and excited, which confused her.

"I'm back on patrols for the foreseeable future," she said.

"Alright, I guess that concludes our debriefing, then," said Harry.

"I guess it does," said Tonks, taking a deep breath before launching into her next words. "Harry, have you thought about the status of our relationship while I was away?"

"I have," he said with a smile.

"Why are you grinning?" she replied uncertainly, her Auror mind trying to solve the mystery.

"I've got a solution to our problem," he said triumphantly.

Tonks was visibly taken aback: she'd hoped that Harry would perform a miracle, but she'd also accepted deep down that she and Harry were done. This realization had come weeks ago, and she'd simply wanted to give Harry some time to reach the same conclusion so that their break-up was mutual.

"Really?" she said. "What is it?"

Harry went down on one knee, extracting a ring box from his robes as he did so. He opened it to reveal a large blood ring adorned with diamonds all along its band.

"Nymphadora Tonks, will you marry me?"

* * *

><p><em>This should be fun :)<em>

_This story has now surpassed 40k words and I'm projecting it to end at around 55-60k - as far as I can tell, only one reviewer on this site got the ending pretty much spot on so far (I won't say more than that)._

_Finally, the next couple of chapters will be a change of pace and actually feature action and death - stay tuned!_


	15. The Quidditch World Cup

Harry waited with bated breath for the next word out of Tonks' mouth.

Her answer was quick in coming.

"No."

"...no?"

"I'm sorry, Harry...I can't marry you. I might be making the worst decision of my life and regret it for as long as I live, but I can't do that to you."

"Do _what _to me? I **want** to marry you, Tonks."

"But for all the wrong reasons. You're acting out of desperation; it wouldn't solve any of our problems."

"Why not? Surely others – Daphne and Gabrielle included – would get the message and back off if we were married."

"Maybe, but then you're just acknowledging how real the temptation of these women is. You're conflicted, Harry."

Harry wanted to scream out in frustration, but he couldn't deny her statement.

"And you're scared. I am too," she admitted. "I think we're both terrified of losing one another, but we can't let fear or a yearning for resolution dictate our actions in something as important as this."

Harry's eyes flitted back and forth: he'd absorbed Tonks' words, but his mind and body warred with the truth of them.

"Right now, you don't _want _to marry me, Harry – you feel you _need _to."

Harry's silence was damning. At last, fearing he already knew the answer to his next question but needing to hear it from her, he choked out:

"Then where does this leave us?"

Tonks turned her back to him, unable to look him in the eyes as her soft voice cracked.

"I think we should break up, Harry."

X

Time no longer bore any meaning. Hours, days, and weeks passed by, yet Harry felt like he'd been at a standstill ever since Tonks had left him.

He went through the motions as he taught his classes, forgetting for the first time why he was even at Hogwarts. He no longer felt joy teaching, nor at the thought of anything at all.

So, he turned to drink, attempting to drown away his sorrow in Firewhiskey. However, this only served to exacerbate his loneliness and the other negative emotions that rose up in him. Once again, he became consumed by the feeling of abandonment he'd suffered throughout his entire life: first, his parents, then Ron and Hermione, and now Tonks. He'd been a fool to place his trust in anyone.

As a result, in spite of their extensive efforts, Daphne and Gabrielle were unable pull Harry out of his depression. Both of them spent much of their spare time with him, apparently setting their differences aside in order to focus on taking care of Harry. He let them talk, but always kept them at arm's length, not allowing their words or actions to truly reach him.

Finally, however, the term was over and he escaped the two witches. As he retreated to his small flat in Godric's Hollow, he felt more alone than ever. Less than a month ago, he thought he was getting engaged...instead, he'd been dumped. This was the house he'd wanted to share with Tonks, but without her to light up the room, its darkness was quick to surround and consume him. He gradually learned to ignore the part of him that missed Daphne and Gabrielle's nagging, instead holding on to the emptiness and the liberty he now enjoyed: he couldn't be betrayed if he was detached from everyone; couldn't have his heart broken if he didn't put himself out there; couldn't get hurt if he didn't allow himself to be.

That was the reasoning he'd used to convince himself this was the right course of action, thus allowing himself to sink lower and lower, to care less and less about everything, and to lose himself in the futility of it all.

X

The second that Tonks had Apparated away after breaking up with Harry, she felt like Apparating back to the spot she'd left him and taking back her words. It had taken a tremendous force of will on her part to stay in place, but she managed to find the necessary strength by drawing on the belief that what she was doing was for the best. Loving one another was not enough; she had to be able to completely trust him, and that had not been the case for close to a year now.

Thoughts of finding Harry and making up with him continued to invade her mind in the following days, but as more and more time passed by, such a course of action seemed less and less realistic. At that point, she instead began fantasizing of Harry rushing back to her and begging her to take him back, her welcoming him back with open arms, and, somehow or another, everything ending happily ever after.

Reality was a cold reminder of the consequences of her actions. As days turned into weeks, a gnawing sense of dread and panic began to eat away at her: had she actually committed the gravest error of her life? She hadn't heard a peep from Harry since she'd said those words to him – what if their entire relationship was now over? A profound emptiness filled her and she couldn't imagine Harry not being some part of her life. As tears became the natural reaction at the simple thought of her ex-boyfriend, red-rimmed eyes were now a constant mark of her appearance which she didn't bother hiding with her Metamorphmagus ability. All Tonks longed for was to see Harry again so they could talk: she needed to hear his voice again, to see if there was any chance Harry could forgive her, and to know exactly where they stood so that she could finally move on with her life.

X

Harry was woken up by the sound of footsteps coming from the direction of his fireplace, and he groggily attempted to sit up on his couch while his vision adjusted to the darkness.

"Who's therrr?" said Harry, slurring his words. In spite of that, one hand brought up his wand instinctively while the other held onto the flask of Firewhiskey he'd cradled all night.

The curtains were suddenly pulled open and Harry winced as the morning light shone through.

Hermione Granger stood in front of him, her shoulders square and her hands on her hips as she looked down at him. Harry withered under her gaze.

"How long are you going to sulk?"

Who had told her? Had it been Gabrielle or Daphne? Then again, did it really matter?

"I just lost the love of my life."

"Oh stop being overdramatic, you're not some angsty teenage girl."

Harry was about to say that it was his life and up to him how he chose to live it, but he quickly realized that that would only back up Hermione's argument.

"So I'm just supposed to act like nothing happened?" said Harry, the anger starting to build within him.

"No, but you have to move on," said Hermione, who hadn't budged an inch and still towered over his hunched form. "We've got tickets to the World Cup, Harry. You're coming."

Motherhood had taught Hermione gentleness, but also assertiveness: when bad behaviour was exhibited, she learned to quickly lay down the law. Put plainly, she was one scary witch when she did so, an assessment even Harry had to acknowledge – this was not an invitation he could simply refuse.

"...fine," he said brusquely, hoping that that would get her off his case.

"Thank you, Harry," she said, and suddenly Hermione's entire demeanour changed as she cheerfully helped him to his feet. "Come on, let's get rid of that awful beard!"

X

It was the Quidditch World Cup. Normally, Harry wouldn't touch such a media extravaganza with a ten foot pole, but he had to admit that it was a perfect storm of circumstances. First, it was England versus Bulgaria: this was the first time England had made the final in close to half a century and the first time ever on home soil, while Bulgaria was led by none other than the legendary Viktor Krum, who had come out of retirement for a final chance at winning the World Cup. Second, his ex-girlfriend and now dear friend was competing: Ginny Weasley was the star Chaser of the English squad. Finally, last but not least, it _was_ Quidditch after all: one of Harry's first and greatest loves.

Hence, Harry made his way to the executive skybox under his now regular glamour – the same one he'd first used on his date with Tonks at Hogsmeade, therefore a melancholic reminder – before he was stopped at the doors by two burly security guards.

"Finger," ordered one of them monotonously.

Harry dutifully presented his hand to the guard, who quickly cast a spell that extracted a single drop of blood for analysis; fingerprint analysis was not as useful in the Wizarding world given the possibility of a Metamorphmagus or an expert glamour charm.

"Mr. Potter!" the man suddenly exclaimed. "I apologize, I didn't recognize you. Please, right this away, sir."

Harry followed the guard as the latter muttered a complex code to unlock the door.

"Please enjoy the match, sir," the guard said after the door opened.

"Thank you."

Harry quickly undid his glamour as he went down the hallway that led to the skybox. On either side of him was memorabilia from previous World Cups, including portraits of all the winning teams, various Golden Snitches from particularly indelible matches, and even Viktor Krum's Firebolt from the 1994 World Cup.

"Harry!" said Molly Weasley, shortly before capturing him in an all-too-familiar bone-crushing hug.

The entire Weasley clan had already arrived and they quickly joined the matriarch in her greeting.

"How are you doing, son?" said Arthur Weasley, clapping Harry on the shoulder.

"I'm...well, thank you. How are you?" He couldn't help but feel his heart slowly fill with joy as he reconnected with his surrogate family.

"Healthy as a horse, Harry old chap," interjected Fred Weasley, one arm around his wife, Angelina Johnson. "So kind of you to ask."

They all shared a laugh. As their reunion was happening, the rest of the occupants of the executive skybox watched with barely restrained curiosity. As soon as Harry had informed the World Cup organizers that he'd like to attend the event, they'd waited on him hand and foot: they'd placed him in the best skybox, upgraded all of the Weasleys' seats to the same skybox, and had given him a smorgasbord of treats, souvenirs, and trinkets for the event. Of course, for them, it was only logical not to spare any expense to have the biggest celebrity of the Wizarding world at their event and to make him comfortable; in exchange, he had promised to present the trophy to the winners of the World Cup and to partake in the ensuing media frenzy.

Harry politely greeted the high-ranking Ministry officials and rich pureblood families, trying to remember their names as he did so. When he'd finally completed his rounds, he plopped down on a seat beside Ron and Hermione, exhausted; on his other side were Fleur Delacour and Bill Weasley.

"Now that I think about it, I have no clue why I used to envy you," Ron said with a smile.

"Of course you do, Ron," said Hermione, as she busily tended to Hugo. "You wanted to impress all the witches."

"Well it worked, didn't it?" said Ron, encircling his arm around his wife's shoulders and giving her a kiss on the head. She smiled up at him and returned the kiss. Harry was immediately envious of the love his two best friends shared for one another and had to avert his gaze...right into the direction of Fleur Delacour. She didn't miss his pain-filled face.

"My sister told me about what 'appened – I'm sorry, 'Arry."

Immediately, Harry closed up, his somewhat improved mood quickly quashed.

"Zut, I should not 'ave said that," expressed Fleur with genuine regret as she saw the change that overcame Harry. "It is just that Gabrielle is very worried about you."

"I know, Fleur, I just don't want to talk about it – with her or anyone else for that matter," he added with a biting tone.

Hermione subtly nudged him at that moment without taking her eyes off Hugo.

"I apologize, 'Arry –"

"No, Fleur, I should be the one apologizing. You didn't deserve that. Listen, I think we all came here to have a good time, so can we not focus on me?"

Hermione huffed in disapproval off to the side, but said nothing.

"As you wish," said Fleur, an uncertain smile on her lips.

Thankfully, further awkward conversation was postponed by the blaring sound of trumpets. Heavy drums quickly joined the melody, as well as countless other instruments that Harry couldn't even begin to name. A dance routine slowly materialized at the center of the stage led by lions, which were England's mascot, and Veelas, which were Bulgaria's; the continued subpar treatment of non-human races generated a glare from both women on either side of Harry. However, the choreography was undeniably spectacular and riveting for all onlookers. At last, with a final flourish, the lions somehow assembled themselves into a pyramid and the Veelas climbed atop it and proceeded to construct an inverse pyramid: the resulting gravity-defying construct generated a huge round applause from the crowd. Immediately after, all the performers disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and Samson Wharton, England's Minister of Magic, appeared atop a rising pedestal in the center of the stage.

"Witches and wizards, welcome to the 423rd Quidditch World Cup!"

The crowd erupted once more, eager to bear witness to the momentous event.

"First of all, I would like to congratulate both England -" this was received by another round of cheers "- and Bulgaria -" which generated boos from the crowd "- for their impressive victories to reach this final."

"I would like to now invite both of these teams to enter the pitch and to take their positions."

One by one, players from the Bulgarian side flew into the arena as the announcer called out their names. A constant stream of boos was heard throughout the stadium and redoubled when Victor Krum brought up the rear. England's team quickly followed suit and Harry's booth yelled out in encouragement when Ginny flew out.

"It appears both teams are ready, and I'm as eager as all of you for this match, so I won't delay it any further."

Wharton then extracted a small, ornamental box from within his robes, which he then enlarged into an extravagant treasure chest.

"Without further ado, let the game...begin!"

As soon as the chest was opened, the Quaffle, two Bludgers and Golden Snitch were released, and the Minister and his pedestal rapidly descended back underground, restoring the pitch to its normal configuration. All around him, brooms flew across the pitch at a torrid pace in pursuit of all four balls.

Ginny Weasley quickly showed why she was the star of her team: she was the first to get her hands on the Quaffle and mere seconds later, the ball was through Bulgaria's left hoop. Over and over in the proceeding minutes, England scored seemingly at will, effortlessly dodging all the Bludgers sent their way.

"50-10 England!" yelled the announcer. "Ginny Weasley dances her way to the Bulgarian hoop and deposits the Quaffle for another ten points!"

"You go, sis!" yelled Charlie.

"Yeah, Ginny!" cheered Percy, surprising everyone with his enthusiasm.

Harry turned his attention to the two Seekers, but especially the Bulgarian superstar, his former rival in the Triwizard Tournament. If anything, Krum flew even better than he remembered, clearly outclassing his English foe. The match was developing in a strikingly reminiscent fashion, with Bulgaria's Chasers struggling to keep up with England's, all their hopes of winning lying on Victor Krum's shoulders. Thankfully for them, the latter was a man on a mission and seemed intent on catching the Snitch before the game got out of reach.

"90-20 England! A blunder by the English Keeper, but the English squad is still well ahead."

Ron cursed; Hermione admonished; Harry laughed – it was just like old times and Harry enjoyed the brief reprieve from his normal life.

"100-20 England! Sam Bennett quickly gets those points back for England!"

Krum continued to fly circles around the English Seeker, but he did not seem any closer to spotting the Snitch. Nevertheless, his face was totally calm and the Bulgarian was in the zone: his full concentration was on catching the elusive golden ball.

"Ten galleons on Bulgaria," said Harry.

"What?! Traitor!" yelled Ron.

"Is that a yes or a no to the wager?"

"Of course it's a yes, you git! I'm going to enjoy spending every last Knut of your ten Galleons on the largest union jack I can find."

Harry laughed, now watching Ginny with the same amazement as he had with Krum. However, whereas Krum was pure speed and power, Ginny was elegance and finesse. Nevertheless, one thing was for certain: both were absolutely beautiful to watch.

"150-20 England! England is really pulling ahead now, scoring 60 unanswered points!"

Suddenly, Krum moved. Almost immediately, the English Seeker followed. By now, the entire crowd of nearly one hundred thousand was on their feet cheering, anticipating the end to a short, but exciting World Cup Final.

"160-20 England! You can sense the urgency, folks! We are in for one electric finish!"

Krum accelerated to top speed then plunged. Harry immediately thought of the Wronski Feint and his thoughts flashed to his teaching of the move to Gabrielle Delacour; he shook his head to focus on the match.

"Adam Wright is hot on Viktor Krum's tail! Is Krum bluffing?"

Just when Krum was about hit the ground, he pulled up and Wright followed; he had obviously studied his opponent and knew his signature move.

"Yes! But Wright was not fooled! And the score is now 170-20 England – they are ten points away from taking the outcome of this match out of – wait! Krum is diving again!"

Indeed he was, and this appeared to take the English Seeker off guard, as he did not seem to be expecting another quick plunge right after a Wronski Feint.

"The Quaffle is in Ginny Weasley's hands! Has Krum really spotted the Snitch this time?"

Harry stared at the ground and caught a glimpse of gold: Krum was after the real thing this time.

"Weasley is approaching the goal! Krum is approaching the ground!"

The crowd collectively grimaced as Ginny was hit by a Bludger, but stayed steadfastly on her broom, set on reaching her target.

"Weasley is cocking back her arm for a shot! Krum is extending his arm out with his fingers outstretched!"

The spectators collectively held in their breaths and didn't dare bat an eyelash.

Then, the following words boomed across the whole stadium:

"Weasley has scored! Krum has caught the Snitch! Which happened first?! Is this a tie or has England won the World Cup for the first time in 48 years?"

Suddenly, fireworks exploded around the stadium and white and red confetti littered the pitch; that was all the confirmation the crowd needed.

"England has won! Final score: England 180, Bulgaria 170!"

The crowd was over the moon and all the members in the executive box – the stuffy Wizengamot seat holders included – were on their feet cheering and hugging each other.

"Where's my 10 galleons, mate?" said Ron with joy.

Harry good-naturedly handed over the coins with a grin, watching as Ginny was swamped by all her teammates in celebration. Harry was about to go down to the pitch to hand out the trophy when he noticed something. Due to the cacophony of sounds and the dazzling flash of colours, he at first thought it was a trick of the mind, but he quickly realized that he was not mistaken: those were not yells of delight or cheers of festivity piercing through all the other noises, but screams of horror and of anguish.

He turned to Ron and Hermione and saw that they had also noticed the oddity. He ran to the hallway to grab Viktor's famous Firebolt then sprinted back to his friends.

"Do you have my back?"

"Always," they both said at the same time.

"No, Hermione," Ron said suddenly, before placing a hand protectively over Hermione's belly.

"This wasn't exactly the way we wanted to tell you," he said sheepishly to Harry.

"Congratulations," Harry said, "but we'll have to celebrate later; something wrong is going on down there."

"I'm coming," said Hermione.

"No," said Ron firmly. "Whatever it is, Harry and I can take care of it by ourselves."

Hermione seemed ready to protest, but Harry quickly stopped her.

"This broom can only handle two people, Hermione. Stay here and protect your family."

Hermione finally nodded reluctantly, then urged them to fly off. Harry and Ron did just that, with Harry riding the familiar broom with speed and precision from all his practice with Gabrielle. As they flew over the pitch trying to find the source of the screams, a shiver ran up Harry's spine: the screams weren't just coming from one place – they were coming from all around them.

He dove in the direction of the nearest one, and that's when he saw it: the nauseatingly familiar green light of _Avada Kedavra_.

Now, the sense of déjà vu was uncanny: not only had the match gone nearly the same as the one twelve years ago, but dark wizards were attacking after the end of the Quidditch World Cup.

"They're dressed as normal wizards!" he yelled to Ron, just as he stunned the wizard who had cast the Killing Curse.

"Bloody hell!" Ron said, scanning the other side of the crowd for offenders.

One difference, however, was that they had planned this attack far smarter this time around by being interspersed in the crowd and camouflaged as normal audience members.

As he heard Ron cast a Stunner behind him, Harry shook his head, realizing this was impossible; it was far too hard to catch the wizards right as they were casting the spells.

"Stop!" he yelled to Ron. "I have an idea."

Harry pointed his wand to his throat and cast an amplification charm.

"Everyone!" Harry yelled, his voice carrying over all other sounds in the stadium. "This is Harry Potter. Please get on the ground and put your wands off to your side. I repeat, please get on the ground and put your wands off to your side. If you do not, we will be forced to stun you."

He watched as some people followed his orders, but the news caused most to begin trying to run away in a panic, creating huge bottlenecks at the exits. Some of the terrorists attacked these bunched up targets, but they were soon dispatched by either Harry, Ron, or a nearby spectator. However, other people were fighting back against the attackers away from the exits, making it hard for Harry and Ron to determine who was actually a dark wizard and who was not.

"This isn't working," Ron said as he fired off a couple more Stunners.

Harry grunted his assent and shot of Stunners of his own, but he had no better ideas.

Then, he heard it.

"Dorothy!"

The scream was bloodcurdling. Harry watched as a mother cradled the lifeless body of her young daughter in her arms, crying at the top of her lungs. The same girl had been in Harry Potter's Defense Against the Dark Arts class and it was she whom he had taught _Lumos _and how to dance at the Yule Ball. Of course she'd listened to him when he'd said to get down on the floor; he was not only her professor, but her hero and idol. That had only made her an unmoving target for the terrorists and she had paid for following his directions with her life.

An 11-year-old girl was dead all because of him. Harry's eyes turned hard and merciless.

He spotted a witch that was now pointing her wand at Dorothy's mother and his retribution was quick and painful: he unleashed all his power into his Stunner and the spell connected directly with the witch's abdomen – she was blown back a dozen feet, her bones fracturing as her body met the cement wall with tremendous force.

"This is the last warning!" he bellowed. "Anyone who does not get on the ground and surrender their wand will be stunned!"

This time, his authoritative tone seemed to convince more people, but many still ignored his orders. He would not have it.

"Stun any adult who is still standing," he told Ron.

Then, he flew around the Quidditch pitch, indiscriminately casting Stunners left and right at an electric clip, aiming at anyone above five and a half feet tall. Harry was a machine, entirely focused on not letting anyone else die, and Ron struggled to keep up with him. The terrorists may have been expecting some pushback from the wizards and witches in attendance, but they had certainly not been expecting a Grand Sorcerer and Order of Merlin, First Class. They could not anticipate that the greatest wizard of their generation would rain spells down on them, casting so fast that the limiting factor was how quickly he could incant _Stupefy_ in his mind. To the wizards and witches huddled on the ground, he appeared to be a silent God, the constant stream of spells an incandescent beam of light razing the entire land and leaving nothing but stillness in its wake. Ron was no slouch either: he cast spells at a slower pace because he was vocalizing them, but they were quicker and more powerful as a result – even a nick was enough to fell a wizard, though most of Ron's spells were direct hits to the chest or back.

People were still streaming out the exits, but Harry reasoned that they should be safe outside; the dark wizards would probably not fire curses out in the open, where they would be easy targets. Besides, the Aurors should be arriving any moment now and would be able to control the situation. It was just as he was thinking that, of course, that he was caught off guard.

"Harry!" cried Ron. "_Protego_!"

The redhead hurriedly cast a shield spell before hurling himself in the way of the incoming spell.

"Ron!" said Harry as he watched Ron get cut with a nasty curse across the arm; he might have lost that arm if not for that shield. Harry then turned in the direction the spell came from and realized why he had been surprised by the spell: the caster was barely above five feet tall.

Just as Harry was silently casting a Stunner, the short wizard or witch – the person's face was shrouded by a hood – rang a bell that sounded clearly across the entire Quidditch pitch.

The sound distracted Harry from his casting and by the time he restarted the incantation, it was already too late: well over a dozen people had Portkeyed out of the stadium, including the mysterious hooded person.

Harry dropped Ron off so he could seek medical attention and then went to see Dorothy. Her mother was still wracked with pain, her body draped protectively over her daughter's. Harry slowly walked up to the grief-stricken woman then kneeled beside her to put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. Rest assured that whoever was behind Dorothy's death will see justice. You have my word."

The woman seemed shocked that Harry Potter knew her daughter's name, but a sad smile eventually spread across her features.

"I know you will. I thought you'd rid this world of evil when you defeated He Who Must Not Be Named...but I guess evil never really dies, does it?"

"No...," said Harry forlornly, before resolutely capturing the eyes of Dorothy's mother, "but neither does good. And we will keep fighting that fight all our lives in order to keep the forces that try to tear away everything dear to us at bay."

"But why did it have to be my daughter?" cried the woman desperately. "Why my little Dorothy?!"

Harry sighed sadly, his thoughts flying to Sirius, his classmates that had died fighting Voldemort's army, and all the other people that he had already lost over the course of his short lifetime.

"I don't know. The world can be extremely cruel sometimes. I won't pretend to know what you're feeling right now, but I do know a little about how to live on after suffering a great loss. It's at times like these that we have to be at our strongest, to live on in spite of the heartbreak we endure...never forgetting that pain, but accepting it and learning to live with it."

Dorothy's mother looked at Harry with teary eyes then collapsed into his arms, sobbing hard into his chest.

"Anything you need, just name it," he said, looking at the inconsolable woman in his arms and wishing he could take away her pain. "Anything."

X

A somber Harry Potter entered 12 Grimmauld Place. There, he met up with the rest of the Order of the Phoenix: all the Weasleys and their spouses; Neville Longbottom and his wife Hannah Abbott; Hogwarts' staff Minerva McGonagall and Rubeus Hagrid; and Head Auror John Dawlish as well as several past and present Aurors, including Kingsley Shacklebolt and of course Nymphadora Tonks, with whom he pointedly avoided making eye contact. Now that he had a clear and defined purpose in his life, it was easier for him to push away all accessory thoughts and emotions.

In spite of the fact that Kingsley was the appointed leader of the Order and John Dawlish held one of the highest positions in magical Britain, everyone knew that Harry Potter was the de facto leader of the Order. As soon as he entered the room, they all quieted down and waited for him to speak.

"What do we know about the ones we captured?"

"We got twenty of them," reported John Dawlish. "Fifteen wizards and five witches. Almost all of them foreign, probably mercenaries. Harry... they were all under the _Imperius_."

Several members of the Order who were not aware of this information gasped.

"Have you tried using _Legilimency _or Veritaserumon them?"

"That's the thing…not only were they all under the _Imperius_, but all of them were brutally Obliviated; their memories consisted almost entirely of their orders for today."

Now, a bigger discussion arose amongst the members and everyone began talking over one another.

"Everyone stop!" Harry yelled, immediately silencing the Order. "Let's get the whole story straight before we get into any discussions. Were their orders for today given to them by a short person in a hood?"

"Yes, that's the description they all gave of the wizard. None of them ever saw his face, though."

"So this wizard is the mastermind behind all of this. What do we know about their plans after the terrorist act?"

"Each of them was given a Portkey to a different location that only the Portkey's holder and their master knew about; they were all supposed to activate it once they heard the bell ring and then just wait in that location until their master showed up. We captured twenty of them and estimate that around the same number got away, and that's just the ones we know of."

"So he's very careful and sees his followers – if you can call them that – as completely expendable, basically like pawns."

"I think that would be an accurate assessment."

"Have you been able to link any previous attacks or terrorist activities to him?"

"We scoured our databases and a few European ones, but none of them match this pattern. Using _Imperius _and _Obliviate_ to this scale is not just unheard of across the globe…it's never happened in the history of the Wizarding world."

Everyone sat back in silence as this sunk in. As soon as they processed this, the hubbub was renewed.

"What a sick fuck!" said Ron. "Recruiting mercenaries and then making them into mindless soldiers? Damn!"

"There's no doubt that this guy is beyond narcissistic," said Neville. "But what's his motive behind all this?"

"Take over the world?" answered Ginny. "Isn't that what all these crazy dark wizards want to do?"

Harry listened attentively to all his friends and colleagues, absorbing their opinions on the matter.

"I think it is too early to guess his motives," said Kingsley. "All we know is that this man has amassed a highly dangerous and skilled army of wizards and witches, but he has a critical weakness: once we cut the head off the snake, the entire threat should be eliminated."

"We sure he in't workin' with summin' else?" asked Hagrid.

"I did a lot of the questioning, Hagrid, and they all seem to know only one master," Tonks said. "I would bet that he's the one responsible for the disappearances I was investigating in the Netherlands, in which case I'm fairly confident this is a one-man operation."

Harry could not help but feel a tug at his heart as he studied Tonks' bubblegum pink hair, but he quickly refocused himself – this was not the time for him to be preoccupied by personal issues.

"Alright, so let's just find this guy and take him out," said Ron with fervor.

"We're devoting most of our Auror force to this purpose," said Dawlish. "At the same time, we're keeping an ear to the ground for mercenaries in case he tries recruiting some more."

"No," Hermione said. "This man is intelligent. If he hid himself from the Aurors long enough to amass an army of at least 40 wizards and devise today's plan, then he's smart enough not to fall for that trap."

"Then 'ow will 'e rebuild 'is army?" said Fleur.

"Maybe recruit former death eaters?" said Hannah Abbott.

"Sure, but how many will join before the rest realize that their friends have been turned into zombies?" said Fred.

"What if he takes them as allies?" asked his wife Angelina.

"I do not think so, Miss Johnson," said Headmistress McGonagall. "His inhumane methods show a distinct lack of trust in others. I doubt he will let anyone new into his inner circle if one does already exist."

The Order members wracked their brains trying to figure out the dark wizard's next course of action, but in the end they couldn't deduce it.

"Alright," Harry said finally. "I think that's enough for today. For now, all we can do is allow the Aurors to do their work in prepping and defending the general population. As for us, we need to stay on our toes and be prepared for whatever attack he throws at us next."

The leader of the Order of the Phoenix stood up and laid his hands down firmly on the table to make sure his following message got across clearly.

"We are at war with a monster. Let us make no mistake about this – we have a new Dark Lord on our hands."

* * *

><p><em>Alright guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next one will follow along the same vein as this one and feature some more deaths; the end is nigh, so thanks for sticking around up to this point.<em>


	16. Saying Goodbye

The Auror offices received a letter the following day:

_The next attack will be in two days at 2 p.m. _

_They will continue at random intervals thereafter unless I am given Harry Potter._

_Only one person can use the attached Portkey: if it is not Harry Potter, all deals are off._

It was only three sentences of barely decipherable chicken scratch, but it was the only specific threat that the Aurors had received in the aftermath of the Quidditch World Cup massacre.

"What do you think?" asked Head Auror John Dawlish.

"We need to be cautious and treat it as if it were authentic even if it's not," replied Harry.

"I agree. We'll post extra Aurors around Ministry buildings, Diagon Alley, and other congested areas."

"Something's not right," said Hermione, shaking her head.

"What is it, dear?" asked her husband Ron.

"I can't quite place my finger on it...hopefully, my gut feeling is simply wrong."

The Order of the Phoenix brainstormed some more potential strategies and eventually decided to adopt Kingsley's proposal of laying traps at all the high-profile locations. Besides that, they could not agree on any other concrete plan, so their meeting was adjourned.

In his peripheral vision, Harry saw a flash of pink cautiously approaching him.

"Harry, could we speak in private for a moment?"

He wanted to immediately tell Tonks off, but one look into her sad brown eyes made him bite back his initial response.

"Fine, let's go to my office," he replied brusquely.

They wordlessly did so while maintaining over a metre of distance between them as though an invisible and impenetrable barrier separated them.

"I know this is neither the time nor place, but we can't just keep avoiding each other if we're going to be working together," said Tonks after Harry closed the door.

"We're both professionals, so we'll communicate when necessary for our work," said Harry. "Otherwise, what is there for us to say to one another?"

"You don't really mean that, do you?" said Tonks, beginning to tear up.

"I thought you made it pretty clear what you thought about our relationship the last time we talked."

Tonks immediately jumped in, the words flowing out of her.

"I'm so sorry, Harry – I think I was just shocked by your sudden proposal and overreacted. I didn't truly mean all that I said, so is there any way you could forgive me?"

"Forgive you?" repeated Harry, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

"I know we can't just pretend that nothing ever happened, but maybe we can try pressing the reset button and just start by being friends."

Harry did not utter a word in response. Instead, he rapidly closed the distance between them, which caused Tonks to stumble back against his desk. He continued moving forward undeterred and pressed his body against hers, pinning her against his desk. Even if she'd wanted to, she would not have been able to avoid the soft, slow kisses along her clavicle and behind her ears that followed. As she felt his hardness pressing against her thigh, she let out an involuntary whimper and reached her hands out to undo his belt.

Just as suddenly as he'd approached her, he was now moving away from her.

"No, I don't think we can just be friends," said Harry, just as he left the room and closed the door shut behind him.

Tonks lay breathless atop Harry's desk, thinking about what had just happened.

_Hate is a lot closer to love than apathy_, she supposed, letting out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

The road ahead might be tough and possibly fruitless, but she would not back down.

She would fight to the bitter end to get Harry back in her life.

X

When 2 p.m. on Tuesday passed by with no discernable attack, Harry let out a sigh of both relief and frustration.

Unfortunately, his reaction had been premature.

"He attacked a playground. Ten kids and their parents watching over them are dead," reported John Dawlish.

The whole Order of the Phoenix had already re-assembled and they let out a collective gasp.

"Non..." whispered Fleur, shaking her head in denial.

"It was basically a hit-and-run," continued Dawlish. "Based on the magical signatures, it was only a few attackers, but they had the element of surprise...the parents never really had a chance of defending against them."

"That gutless bastard," said Ron with venom. "He better pray I don't get my hands on him."

Others muttered similar vows, but Harry didn't really hear them. He left the room silently, clenching his fists until his knuckles were white. Images of Dorothy's lifeless body flitted through his mind and Harry struggled not to let out a cry of pure, unadulterated anger.

He felt a delicate hand on his back which he recognized at once.

"It's not your fault," said Tonks, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly from behind.

"I could have given myself up," he said with desperation. "All those kids would have been alive if I had."

"Don't be absurd," said Tonks, though the words were said with comfort as she rubbed her hands in a circle around his chest. "We had no idea if that threat was real and there's no saying he would have kept his promise anyway."

"But now we do. I have to give myself up."

Tonks tapped him lightly on the forehead.

"Stop being an idiot. We're not going to let you walk into an obvious trap. You may be the strongest wizard alive, but you're not invincible."

"I have to at least try," replied Harry fervently. "How else are we going to stop him?!"

"With patience," said Tonks. "Dawlish said he should have about 20 followers – if we can take them all down, he'll have to come out himself."

"No, that'll take too long...too many innocent people will die in the meantime."

"You can't expect this to end overnight, Harry. You said it yourself that we're at war."

Harry knew that Tonks was right and he couldn't exactly argue with his own words. So, he pressed his forehead against the wall.

"You can take your hands off me now," said Harry, remembering where he was and with whom he was sharing this intimate moment.

"Do you really want me to?"

No response came, so the two of them stayed joined together in that darkened corridor, losing all track of time.

X

"Who's the traitor?!" yelled Hagrid, brandishing a copy of the Daily Prophet in which two images were featured prominently on the front page: the crime scene at the playground and a transcription of the letter that had been sent to the Auror offices.

"Calm down, big man," said Fred. "It could've been someone at the Auror offices and not someone who's part of the Order."

"No," replied Minerva McGonagall. "The terrorist leaked it himself."

After a moment of reflection, the entire room suddenly nodded in understanding.

"He's trying to make the public pressure Harry into giving himself up," said Hannah Abbott.

"Precisely," said Hogwarts' Headmistress. "It will be interesting to see their response."

John Dawlish gave a short statement to the press saying that they would not negotiate with terrorists and had no intention of endangering Harry's life. A short time later, protesters started gathering at the Auror offices, most of them related to the kids that had been killed. Harry was unsurprised and could not blame them, but he was taken aback by the subsequent blowback: most of the public was in outrage, absolutely refusing to give him up. Harry was genuinely humbled and grateful towards them, even if he couldn't entirely understand them.

"Really, Harry? You saved the Wizarding world and protected countless lives," said Neville. "Everyone believes you'll beat this guy."

The others quickly affirmed their faith in him and Harry had to struggle not to shed tears – together, he knew they would always be victorious in the fight against evil.

X

Two months later, the war was still going strong, and the terrorists showed no signs of quitting or giving up. Their leader's demands had not changed.

"Why's the wanker got such a hard-on for you anyway?" asked Ron.

Harry shook his head and sighed.

"I honestly wish I knew. I certainly would have remembered someone as distinctively short as him, so I don't think I ever knew him personally."

"Then is he just doing this for the notoriety?"

"Maybe...but what Hermione said the other day could also be true: I made a lot of enemies who were on the losing side of the war that I might have never met. What doesn't fit with that hypothesis, though, is that I spent my Auror years scouring England for any traces of dark wizards and never got a whiff of someone as powerful as this guy."

"In any case, we have to stop him soon, Harry," said Ron, "this can't keep going on."

He was right. The Order of the Phoenix had been successful in slowly but surely picking off the new Dark Lord's followers with traps largely devised by Hermione and Kingsley, but public support for Harry was waning. The terrorist continued to target incendiary locations such as schools and hospitals, and deaths were nearly inevitable from each attack.

"I know, but we're winning this war of attrition. It's like Tonks told me right from the start: we have to be patient."

"What's going on between you two, anyway? You've been spending a lot of time together...are you a couple again?"

"No!" said Harry immediately, before amending his reply. "At least, it's complicated. She's obviously putting a lot of effort into trying to make it work. Anyway, we'll sort it all out after the war is over."

"I hear you. Let's just hope that happens sooner rather than later."

X

Ron got his wish, but the event that changed everything did not work in their favour: Head Auror John Dawlish was assassinated. Family members, the Order and a few trusted Aurors were the only ones allowed to attend his funeral; like all the other casualties of the war, a proper ceremony would only be held after the war ended.

His murder had not been accomplished through guerrilla tactics, but via an all-out assault that had cost the new Dark Lord several of his men – by the Aurors' estimates, it had been a desperate last ditch attempt with his dwindling force.

But it had worked: the Wizarding world was in a panic, not unlike the days when Voldemort ruled supreme. This fear was magnified by the fact Harry Potter had not been seen in public ever since the publishing of the infamous letter, therefore many were questioning whether their saviour had abandoned them. In spite of Harry's desire to prove the contrary, the Order had absolutely forbidden him to do so due to the risk of kidnapping or assassination.

Harry felt like this could be the tipping point for other Dark factions to come out of the woodwork or for more people to join the new Dark Lord in an attempt to be part of the winning side. To them, the terrorists' leader had just scored a major victory after successfully fighting the establishment for over two months; they did not know how depleted his forces were, as he'd never attacked with all of them ever since the Quidditch World Cup. Also, in spite of the Order and the Aurors' best attempts to convey how inhumanely he treated his followers, there were almost certainly doubters who believed that this was just a lie to deter recruitment.

Hence, Harry decided he would use the Portkey and made that announcement to the Order.

The entire group quickly jumped to its feet and let its protests be known, but Harry just kept reiterating the current situation.

"Nothing we say is going to change your mind, is it?" said Tonks quietly.

"No, but I have no plans of giving myself up. As soon as I'm transported, I plan to take this guy and his remaining followers down."

Had this statement come from anyone else, it would have sounded absurd, but Harry Potter had defied death and prevailed against overwhelming odds so many times that no one would have betted against him. Slowly, they came around to his idea.

"If you're going to do this, though," said Tonks, "you need to be prepared. We can go to the Auror offices and get you properly equipped."

Harry nodded and they scheduled their meet-up the next day.

X

For the first time since the war began, Harry Potter was out in public without his glamour on. In spite of his bravado the previous day, Harry knew that he very well might not make it out alive this time. As a result, he wanted to show his face proudly and show everyone that he had not left them in the lurch.

What he had not been expecting, however, was to be slapped across the face just as he entered the Auror offices.

"I deserved that," he said, as he looked into unmistakeable icy blue eyes. A few people quickly approached them in alarm, but Daphne waved them off and somehow they didn't dare disobey her.

"I've said it before, but you must not have gotten the message: you're a bastard, Harry Potter."

"I know," replied Harry. "You and Gabrielle were only trying to help me and I just shut you out."

Suddenly, Harry realized the peculiarity of their encounter.

"How the heck did you know I would be here, Daphne?"

"I told her."

"Tonks?!"

His fellow Order member had walked up to them and was now at his side.

"Maybe I'm missing something, but _why_?!"

"I realized that if we want to make 'us' work, I have to do my part as well. Besides, she's been worried about you for months now and deserved to hear from you."

Daphne shot daggers at Tonks.

"You two are back together?"

"Why does everyone keep asking that?" said Harry, still trying to wrap his head around the whole situation.

"No matter," continued Daphne, before turning to face Tonks and addressing her with a chilling tone. "You broke his heart, you know – if you ever do that again, I'll ruin you."

With that, Daphne Greengrass turned on her heel and left the two of them alone.

"Well, that went well," said Harry in exasperation.

"Should you follow her?"

"It's how she deals with things...I'll see her again later to smooth things out."

"Alright, but don't forget you also have to see Gabrielle as well before you go off on your mission. I thought bringing them both at the same time might create a bit too much drama, so I only invited Daphne here."

"This might sound crazy, but fighting a war is so much simpler than this whole headache with relationships. Maybe I should just let the new Dark Lord off me so that I'm free of it all."

"Don't even joke about that," said Tonks, punching him in the ribs.

"Sorry."

Noticing that a crowd was slowly starting to assemble around them, Harry began walking towards the armoury, Tonks quickly falling in step behind him.

He smiled and nodded at the people he passed by, giving a few words of greeting to those he recognized. When they reached the armoury, the Aurors standing guard quickly saluted Harry before unlocking the chamber.

The two of them were quiet as they walked around the room inspecting various items. It did not take them long to assemble what Harry wanted: full-body dragonscale armour, a couple of spare wands and holsters, and various potions to be taken before, during, and after the battle, such as Felix Felicis and healing salves. The sombre mood pervading the room persisted throughout this time.

Finally, Tonks broke the silence.

"Do you have everything?" she asked.

"I think I just have to grab my Invisibility Cloak and my Firebolt from Gringotts."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" said Tonks, fishing in her robes as she did so. "After Dawlish died, I was given the key to the Aurors' vault; if you're already going to be down there, you can see if there's anything in there you might want."

"Sure, I'll check it out later," said Harry, accepting the key from Tonks.

Once again, the silence was deafening; this time, Harry broke it.

"I guess this is goodbye for now, then," he said, smiling with love at the woman in front of him – after all that they'd been through together, he couldn't hide the affection he felt for her.

"Come back to me, Harry," said Tonks desperately, the words spilling out of her as her tears flowed effusively down her cheeks. "Promise me?"

"I promise," said Harry, holding Tonks for what he hoped wasn't the last time in his life.

X

Harry Apparated with barely restrained anxiety to the Greengrass Manor. He was met at the door by the Greengrass' house-elf, who swiftly accompanied him to Daphne's room, thankfully without running into her parents.

When he entered her room, she was seated in profile at her vanity, carefully applying make-up for a reason unbeknownst to him, since she already looked flawless in a long, flowing blue gown that matched her eyes. Elegant little diamonds adorned each earlobe, but Daphne wore no other jewellery besides those earrings.

"Don't go," she said, without turning to face him directly.

"Go where?" he said, trying to play dumb.

"I'm in no mood to play games, Harry. Come on, Tonks suddenly asking me to come see you? I'm shocked it took your idiotic self this long to decide to meet the terrorist's demands."

Harry sat down on Daphne's bed, watching her through the vanity's mirror, as her back was still turned towards him.

"Sorry," he said, mesmerized by the long, regular strokes Daphne was using to brush her hair.

"You don't need to be the hero this time," she said with a sudden passion. "Why can't you be selfish like me?"

"And what, run off into the sunset?" joked Harry.

"Why not? Fake your death. We can leave all this behind us and go somewhere new, like Sweden...or Germany."

"Daphne," interjected Harry, getting to his feet and laying his hands delicately on her shoulders.

She continued as though uninterrupted.

"If you really want to stay in Britain, we could even live in Muggle London. Sure, it would take some adjustment, but –"

"You're allowed to cry, you know?" he said with a gentle smile, feeling the tension in her shoulders suddenly being released. "Haven't I taught you anything this past year?"

"Who says I want to cry over you?" replied Daphne, even as her eyes brimmed with tears.

With a smile, he carefully brushed away her tears before kissing her on the back of the head.

"I'll come back," he said, as determined emerald eyes met icy blue ones through the mirror.

Once more, he hoped he wasn't making empty promises.

X

To his utter surprise, Gabrielle was overjoyed to see him, running across the room and throwing herself at him the moment she spotted him.

"You're not...mad?" he said, as he struggled to rebalance himself with the new load in his arms.

"I know firsthand and through Fleur how much you suffered after Tonks broke up with you, and then the whole war started. My family is well aware of the importance of secrecy during such times, and since you were the one being targeted, it was only natural that you should go into hiding."

"Actually, I've been active in the fight against the terrorists, I've just been using a glamour in public."

"Of course!" she said triumphantly. "You're my hero for a reason, Harry – I know you'll beat them!"

Gabrielle blushed as she realized what she'd just said.

Harry had to temper her enthusiasm: he did not want to hide his true reason for coming to see her, so he told her about his plan to use the Portkey.

It took her a moment to absorb what he'd just announced. Once she did, she immediately changed her tone.

"Let me help in the fight," she said ardently, begging him with her eyes.

"Not a chance in hell," replied Harry immediately, though he appreciated her heartfelt desire to aid him. "Even if I was able to bring people with me to the fight, I know how strong this new Dark Lord is and there's no way I'd endanger you."

Once again, Gabrielle's cheeks coloured, but this time it was in anger – finally, an emotion he was expecting to see.

"I'm older than you were when you fought Voldemort," argued Gabrielle.

"Circumstances have changed, Gabby," retorted Harry. "By defeating Voldemort, children don't need to fight in the war against evil anymore."

"I'm not a child. I'm 18 now," said Gabrielle, and the look in her eyes reminded Harry of the dangerous power of Veelas.

"N-nevertheless," stuttered Harry, "this is my fight alone. I have probably the brightest witch of my generation coaching me, so I already have the best preparation I could ask for."

"Then what can I do?" said Gabrielle, still persistent.

"Just have confidence in me that I'll end the war a second time."

She stepped forward and looked up at him, letting her eyes convey the truth of her next words.

"You know I do, just like I did when the world needed a hero eight years ago. There were many who didn't think you were capable of being that hero back then...prove them wrong once again and give that bastard what he deserves."

Harry closed the remaining distance between them, hugging her in appreciation for the support she'd shown him for as long as he'd known her. She was the youngest of the three witches in his life and yet she constantly demonstrated a strength and loyalty that belied her age; amazingly enough, it was her that he knew he could always lean on.

"I'm really glad I came to see you, Gabby," said Harry, giving her a peck on the cheek before letting her go. "I figured I'd be the one to do that for once."

Harry was in a rejuvenated mood as he waved at a smiling Gabrielle before Apparating away.

As soon as he left, Gabrielle collapsed into tears; her mother quickly heard her sobbing and comforted her as best she could, but she knew that only Harry Potter's safe return could heal her daughter's broken heart.

X

The goblin brought him to the Aurors' vault after completing a short visit to the Potter vault. As Harry inserted the key into the appropriate slot and watched as the large doors opened before him, he was wondered what new items he would find there.

From what he could tell at a glance, most of the items were the same rare artifacts he'd already become familiar with during his time as Head Auror. Some of them had obvious combat application, such as the weapons and armours, but others had altogether different uses. He made his way around the room, asking the goblin about the various new items he was unfamiliar with, but after 15 minutes or so, he decided he would just stick with the items he'd already collected, as those were the ones that he was most comfortable using.

"What's that?" asked Harry, when he spotted a covered object in the corner right before he was about to leave the vault.

"Ah! Your Headmistress actually brought it to the Aurors not too long ago and it was placed here," the goblin replied. "I believe you are familiar with the Mirror of Erised?"

Harry did not answer, instead walking slowly but surely towards the item that would reveal his heart's innermost desires. He'd observed different things in it every time he'd used it in the past...what would he see now?

Would it be Tonks, seven years his senior, Daphne, his age, or Gabrielle, seven years his junior?

His first true love, the woman who constantly challenged and surprised him, or the one who always managed to bring hope and joy to his life?

Would he see auburn eyes, icy blue eyes, or sapphire eyes?

He pulled off the cover and looked into the Mirror.

The goblin watched him curiously and was considering speaking up when Harry abruptly replaced the cover, shrouding the Mirror once again.

The Boy Who Lived smiled, content and at peace. He was ready to head into combat.

x

"You're sure you're ready for this, Harry?" asked Hermione for the umpteenth time.

"Positive," he said, smiling to try to assuage his friend's worry.

It was only the two of them in a small prep room at 12 Grimmauld Place, as the rest of the Order and all available Aurors were positioned throughout the United Kingdom in an attempt to aid Harry as soon as the Portkey's destination was known.

"Alright then," said Hermione, hugging her friend tightly. "Good luck!"

Harry took a step back from Hermione, mounted his Firebolt, and grinned as he pointed at the empty Felix Felicis bottle.

"Already have it."

Harry took a deep breath...then touched the Portkey.

X

The moment Harry arrived at the programmed location, explosions went off all around him, throwing him off his Firebolt. Before that, he'd actually gone through a hole in the ceiling and had landed hard on what felt like concrete. That hole had quickly been sealed, trapping Harry in a pitch black, concrete prison.

In spite of all that had just happened to him in the span of a few seconds, Harry had the presence of mind to send out his Patronus to Hermione. The bright stag also allowed him to see that he was in the middle of a large, open, circular room that had doorways all around it.

A moment later, a barrage of spells rained down on him from all angles, lighting up the room and buffeting his _Protego_.

_Well, they certainly aren't playing around_, thought Harry.

As he stumbled around the room, he just set off more explosions, his dragonscale boots already incurring significant damage. Moreover, the spells were hitting him with remarkable accuracy. Upon discarding his Invisibility cloak, which had been hindering his casting abilities, he saw that it had somehow been marked bright orange.

Harry realized at that moment that the terrorists had been fully prepared for him and felt a chill run up his spine – he very well might have sealed his fate the moment he touched that Portkey. However, his mind then went back to what he saw in the Mirror; shaking off his momentary despair, Harry started fighting back with renewed vigour. The wizards and witches firing at him were all very well placed defensively, but their strategy was obviously to stay in their favourable positions and to keep him in the center of the room.

Harry used _Accio _to regain possession of his Firebolt, and then managed to fly through one of the doorways where he'd already managed to disable an enemy. He found himself in a small, nondescript room which the Stunned wizard on the ground must have used as living quarters.

It would do. From this new position, Harry was able to fire bursts of spells with much greater accuracy before taking cover. His _Protego_ and armour still took some hits, and he knew his defences were almost at their limit due to the earlier onslaught, but he was gradually taking down his enemies.

_I can do this! _thought Harry, feeling the tide turning in his favour. By his count, no more than a handful terrorists remained, though he had yet to receive any indication that their leader was amongst them. As though in response, the hole in the ceiling re-opened at that moment.

"Stop!" yelled a voice, and the spells ceased immediately.

A short, hooded man led a boy of about 14 years old down the ladder, his wand pointed at him all the way.

"Let the boy go," said Harry menacingly.

"Only if you drop your wand and kick it towards me," commanded the man.

"How can I trust you? Especially after what you've done to children in the past."

"They were simply a means to an end. You were always the ultimate goal, Harry Potter; this child's life is meaningless to me."

Harry thought over his words and for some reason, they rung true to him. Besides, it wasn't like he had much leverage in these negotiations anyway. With trepidation, he kicked his wand towards the center of the room, where it was quickly picked up.

"The two spares as well," said the man. "Then come out into the open."

Harry did not know how the man had acquired that bit of information, but once again he had no choice but to comply.

"Now let the boy go," said Harry.

The wizard did so and Harry sighed in relief; at least one more innocent soul would not be on his conscience. He did not have much time to relax, though, as a second later, the spells rained down on him once more.

The shield he conjured up wandlessly buckled under the assault and Harry considered making a dash back into the smaller room. He dismissed that idea, however, because he knew he'd be a sitting duck and would be no match for the terrorists without his wand. Plus, he had no idea how close his allies were, so he couldn't depend on them helping him in time.

In spite of how close he was to finally ending this war, he knew what he had to do at this time: run.

"_Accio_ Firebolt!" he screamed, and felt his familiar broomstick rush towards him.

He was virtually certain that anti-Apparition wards were already in place, especially after experiencing firsthand all the other precautions that had been made for him, so he knew that flying away was his only chance of escaping.

"Stop him!" yelled the terrorists' leader at the center of the room.

As Ron had demonstrated in the past during Quidditch, Felix Felicis was an incredible potion when used in combination with flying. Somehow or another, Harry dodged the majority of the spells coming at him, though he did take a powerful spell in the back from the new Dark Lord which tore a hole in his dragonscale armour when he flew up and out of the underground bunker.

As soon as he was back in the open air, Harry realized he was in a muddy field with no evidence of civilization in sight. He quickly looked around him and spotted a figure running away in the distance.

"Hop on!" he said, after catching up to the boy and landing beside him.

"...okay!" said the boy, as wizards and witches streamed out of the bunker and shot spells at them. However, even though it seemed they were in the clear, Harry had a nagging feeling that something was off.

"Hold on to me," said Harry when the boy had installed himself behind him.

"No."

"Huh?"

Just as Harry turned his head back, the boy muttered a spell that Harry had never heard before. It hit him in the back right where the hole in his armour was located.

Harry realized then what had been bugging him: the teenage boy's accent had been British, but he'd never seen him at Hogwarts. As he took a closer look at the boy, he also noticed a bright object peeking out of his pocket: a bell.

The same one that had been rung at the Quidditch World Cup two months ago as a signal for retreat.

The mysterious new Dark Lord was not the short man Harry had escaped from in the bunker, but this teenager who had yet to hit his growth spurt.

It mattered nought. In his mind, Harry apologized to Tonks, Daphne, and Gabrielle, to his dear friends and colleagues, and to the magical society at large.

He'd failed.

Harry Potter felt the darkness consume him.

X

_Brodie Cooper's first memory was of being beaten by his birth parents, suffering nearly daily abuse at their hands. His screams would fall on deaf ears, so he learned to simply endure it all by hardening his mind, body and soul to the pain. He did everything he could to avoid them and not do anything that would provoke them, but when they were in the right frame of mind, none of that mattered. He thought he must have done something to deserve their slaps and lashings, that their actions were justified, and that he was the one at fault._

_That all changed when a nursery worker noticed the bruises on his body one day. The next thing he knew, he saw his parents being taken away and he was adopted by an older couple who took him into their home and into their hearts._

_The next year or so was the greatest of his life. Brodie discovered what it felt like to be loved and cared for unconditionally and learned to do so in return. His adopted parents also found out that he was exceptionally intelligent and did all they could to advance his education and to challenge him every day. He didn't believe that his time with his birth parents would ever become a thing of the past, but he nevertheless learned to embrace the present and the joy it provided._

_Then, everything changed once again when he was six years old. _

_His new parents were killed in the Final Battle. He didn't understand what it meant that his parents were Death Eaters; to him, they were just mom and dad. He felt like his whole world was over._

_In the days and weeks following the end of the war, he witnessed his friends and extended family being sent to Azkaban or discriminated against. They were being hunted down by Aurors with Harry Potter at their helm, the same man ultimately responsible for his parents' deaths. When an Auror tried to take him in after capturing the family friends he'd been staying with, that was the first time he'd used accidental magic. Immense anger at the thought of suffering the same fate as all his loved ones burst forth and killed the Auror. At first, he felt disgust and remorse for his actions, but it became easy to justify what he'd done by blaming Harry Potter for all the pain he'd unleashed in the first place._

_Because of that murder, Brodie had had to go into hiding, learning to only use magic near adults in order to avoid being detected by the Trace. He attacked, threatened, and killed others in order to meet his basic needs and to acquire knowledge: he quickly understood that he was very powerful not only for his age, but for any wizard period, and he learned all that he could about magic through books and other ressources. He spent every day in this manner, consumed by the overwhelming need to get revenge on the wizard who'd taken everything good in life away from him. _

_Death was too kind a fate for Harry Potter. Brodie would not be satisfied using the Killing Curse on him or assassinating him in some other manner. No, Harry Potter deserved to suffer. Hence, Brodie explored the Dark Arts, and found the perfect, incurable spell: it would plunge its victim in eternal pain while he or she resided in the limbo of time. It would require a direct hit and a practically defenceless target, therefore Brodie spent the eight years following that fateful day in preparation._

X

As he watched the spell connect with Harry, Brodie himself was at his limits in terms of magical capacity due to all the _Imperiused_ wizards and witches he'd had under his control. Had Harry Potter been even slightly stronger – either not magically exhausted or in possession of his wand – the spell, may not have penetrated his shield.

But that was not the case, and Brodie witnessed the saviour of the Wizarding world go into convulsions on the ground. Brodie's whole body relaxed, the enormous burden he'd been carrying for as long as he could remember finally lifted off his narrow shoulders. All the blood on his hands to lead up to this point had not been for nought. He knew he could never be absolved of all the damage and horrors he'd caused others, but as far as he was concerned, he'd avenged the only people in his life who'd given him a chance at happiness, however brief that had been. With relief, Brodie Coopie pointed his wand to his temple and muttered his final words: _Avada Kedavra_.

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><p><em>Hope everyone had pleasant holidays and is enjoying the new year. Only one chapter left!<em>


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